Dark Corner of the Etherium
by WeAsLeYkid8
Summary: Takes place 1 1/2 years after the Legacy's return to Crescentia. Old characters...new evildoers--big problems. (Now Complete!)
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I own nothing. If I did, it would denote I COULD write well and therefore could be making vast quantities of money on my own account. But I'm poor, so.... If you recognize it, it belongs to the great entity that is Disney.  
  
The Dutalian fish fillets were in the oven, the table was set elegantly for two, the sauce was simmering quietly on the stove, and two silver candles sat in the middle of it all, standing at attention, waiting to be lit. Which was precisely what Delbert Doppler now set out to do. Holding the lit match above the first candle with his right hand, he let his gaze fall to the grandfather clock in the corner of the dining room for the umpteenth time. Fifteen 'til six. She'd be here in 15 minutes. Fifteen minutes until Amelia, in all her grandeur, would come waltzing in the door, tired from a day at the spaceport and looking forward to a warm meal. Hopefully, she would love the menu. Hopefully, she would adore the table setting, with fine Canian china and crystal goblets. And hopefully, HOPEFULLY she would find the entire setup utterly romantic --say, romantic enough to accept any ...er, proposals that may come her way. Delbert finished lighting the first candle's twin, and blew out the match. *Well,* he thought to himself, *I'll know in 15 --no, 14 minutes. Fourteen minutes!?!* He glanced back at the clock hurriedly. He had only 14 minutes to finish preparing the most romantic evening of his life ...and here he was standing in his robe and slippers. He made a mad dash upstairs, making a beeline for his room. He threw open his closet doors. "What the hell should I wear?!" he panicked, pushing hangars full of clothing around. *What does one wear to an important thing like this?* he puzzled. Suits, coats, shirts and the like flew around the room as he quickly scrutinized, and rejected, outfit after outfit. By the time he passed up a brown suit set, he looked into his closet and realized that he had nothing left to reject... Save that old space suit he bought from that two-headed salesman. He smiled to himself, as the hideous old suit reminded him of his first encounter with his beloved feline lover, however well she may have gotten the best of him that day.  
  
"Let me make this as ...MONOSYLLABIC as possible. I don't much care for the crew you hired. They are... How did I describe them, Arrow? I said something rather good this morning before coffee..."  
"A ludicrous parcel of driveling galoots, ma'am."  
"There you go-- poetry!"  
"Now see here...!"   
"Doctor, I'd love to chat --tea, cake, the whole shebang, but I have a ship to launch, and you've got your outfit to buff up."   
  
As nostalgic as the antique was, it simply would not do for the occasion at hand. *Then again,* he sighed to himself, *None of these seem to do the trick either.* His eyes flew to the beside clock. Seven minutes. Terrific. Here he was, setting up for one of the biggest evenings of his life, and the best attire he had was a maroon robe and matching slippers. While the matching pajama pants were rather nice, they tended to really kill the whole "romantic evening" theme he had going. With six minutes remaining until the captain herself was due to arrive, he decided that now was not the time to be picky about which color most flattered his looks. He grabbed the first formal get-up he could find and threw it on. As he straightened his collar in the mirror, he admired his choice. Maybe pressure was good for him ...he picked out a good outfit anyway. He returned downstairs, dimming the lighting slightly in the dining room and stirring the dark brown sauce on the stove one last time. Two minutes to spare. Looking in the mirror in the hallway, he stared hard at his reflection. Something was ...off. *But what?* he asked himself. He turned his head to the side, analyzing his profile. *Are my glasses crooked? No-- they're fine...* He glared again at the image of himself, which, predictably, glared back. He was so caught up in thought over what was missing, that he didn't hear his doorbell ring until about the fifth time it did so. Shaking himself out of his reverie, he looked confusedly towards the door. Amelia knew she was welcome, and therefore never knocked. Who was it then, and why, WHY were they bothering him while he only had --he glanced at the gold clock in the hall-- 55 seconds until the love of his life walked through the door? He sighed, frustrated, as he opened the door.  
"Hiya, doc!" B.E.N., Sarah Hawkin's new inn-rebuilding overseer, and currently an overall pest-and-a-half smiled broadly from the other side of the threshold.  
"Uh, hi. Why are you..." Delbert began, as B.E.N. strutted into the doctor's den.  
"It's been a while, Doc," B.E.N. said, throwing himself onto a leather recliner, "Like what ...three, four weeks?"  
"Six days."  
"Ah, but it FEELS like an eternity."  
"Truly, I'm sure, but I..."  
"This place is looking good doc! Did you redecorate?"  
"No, I..."  
"New furniture?"  
"No..."  
"Ah! I've got it. You've gone feng shui. I find the look very peaceful myself..."  
"Is there a REASON you've stopped by?" Delbert inquired through gritted teeth.  
"Why? Do I need a reason to say 'aloha' to a good friend I haven't seen in so long?" B.E.N. asked, his eyes growing large and "tearing" up, "I just want to keep in touch..."   
"Look, it's nothing personal, I just have a very big evening planned."  
"Ahhh... I knew I smelt fancy dinner cooking. Whatcha making?"  
B.E.N. rushed into the kitchen, sifting through the pots on the stove.  
"Look," Doppler said, now thoroughly fed up, "If there isn't a real reason you're here, please, I beg you, leave."  
"Real reason? Well, I was told to bring this to the captain. The guy gave it to Sarah knowing that she knew 'her captain-ness.' Sarah told me to see that she got it, and I figured she'd be here," B.E.N. said, thrusting a letter into Delbert's hand as he used his other mechanical digits to sample the sauce.  
Delbert looked at the envelope. It was white and long, with nothing but "Captain Amelia" written across it in loopy black letters. He tucked the envelope into the breast pocket of his coat and turned toward B.E.N..   
"Look, Amelia will be here any second..."  
"No kidding. What's all this for anyway?"  
"It's very important that you leave now..."  
B.E.N. ignored him, "You didn't decorate like this for that shindig we had four months back. Yes, I distinctly remember drinking out of REGULAR glasses."  
"B.E.N. PLEASE..."  
"This must be something really, really, important to break out all that fancy china!"  
"Yes, it is, so would you kindly LEAVE!?"  
"Oh, oh! I get it! Doc, you sly bugger... Why didn't you tell me you had intentions to pop the question?"  
Delbert rolled his eyes, but couldn't hide his blush.  
"That's it, isn't it? Whoo! This is great! I wanna be the best man; I call best man! I tell you, this is just FANTASTIC. The wedding, and the reception ...and of course, the honeymoon..."  
"B.E.N...."  
"Oh! And all the little ones to follow! Ah, the joys of parenthood."  
"Please... B.E.N.."  
"And I'll be able to look back on it all and say I saw the magical moment just before those two crazy kids decided to get married!" the robot exclaimed.  
"Oh? Who's getting married now?" a female voice spoke from the doorway.  
B.E.N. grinned. "Well if it isn't the beautiful br--"  
Delbert clamped his hand over the robot's mouth. "Bronze goddess ...he's been calling you that the whole time he's been here," he interjected, trying to cover the robot's near-fatal spill. "If he continues such talk I may have to disconnect his main circuits," he stressed, throwing a meaningful, and somewhat threatening glare in B.E.N.'s direction.   
Amelia cocked an eyebrow at the two, who were now suspiciously grinning. "Bronze goddess?"  
"That you are, milady," B.E.N. smiled.   
Amelia rolled her eyes, then stopped and sniffed the air.  
"Well, Doc here has a lovely dinner planned, so I'd better be going," B.E.N. said, heading toward the door. He watched Amelia head toward the kitchen. "Say, what were you baking anyway?"  
"It's..."  
"ON FIRE!!" Amelia cried from the kitchen.  
Delbert and B.E.N. both ran to her side, where she was throwing a pitcher of water on the fish fillets ...or what used to be fish fillets.  
"Oooh, tough break," B.E.N. whistled. He received a dark glare from Doppler. "Whoa ...gotta go!" He escorted himself quickly out the front door.  
Meanwhile, Delbert looked disheartened at his burnt dinner. *Well, this is going just swimmingly...*  
"Aw, dear, that's quite all right," Amelia tried to comfort him, "I had a large lunch anyway. I could really use something sweet if you have it..."  
*Perfect. I forgot dessert.*  
"I really only invested time in this," Delbert said, holding up the pan with the burnt fillets.  
Amelia cast a pitying look at him and kissed his forehead. "I'm sure they would have tasted fine; assuming your cooking skills are better than your knack for words," she grinned.  
"Not that much better, apparently," he sighed.  
"No worries. I've had a positively hellish day, and I just want to wind down anyway." She headed for the living room; Delbert threw the charred pan into the trash and followed her. She took a seat on a broad red sofa, and motioned for him to take a seat next to her. When he did, she leaned back against him.  
"Let me tell you, thing are positively falling apart down at the spaceport. The contractor who said my stateroom would be finished two weeks ago is still requesting more time. And get this, the rookie lieutenant I got last week --remember the Tandarian?-- well he managed to rip one of the port side sails! On top of that, Raymond, the captain of the Nefarious is now Crescentia's newest bachelor, and if he tries to 'dazzle' me with one more cheap pickup line I'll pop him one right in his presumptuous jaw."  
"You're being flirted with?" Doppler questioned.  
"Oh don't worry, you're twice the man he is... Ok, so maybe not by means of actual body mass or linguistic know-how," she smirked, "But he's a ruffian and a pig and has quite the sailor's mouth."  
"Well ...good. Indeed, was does he have that I don't?"  
"Massively muscular arms, defined pectorals, a military rank, and a pet iguana, but who's counting?" she smiled, kissing him on the mouth.  
"I could get an iguana," he mumbled under his breath.  
She chuckled and stretched. "No need to, dear. You're all the high maintenance I need right now."   
"Right."  
She settled into his arms and closed her eyes. *Hmm,* Delbert thought, *This might be the opportunity I need to...* He carefully reached a hand toward his jacket's left outer pocket. *It should be right here ...where is it?* Suddenly, the whereabouts of his missing ring dawned on him. The left outer pocket of his ROBE. The one he changed out of only a half an hour prior. *Damn.*   
Amelia suddenly stirred. "I think I'll head to bed." She stood and headed for the stairs.  
*Good. I can get the ring...*  
"Coming?"  
*Oh. She's heading to BED. VERY GOOD.*  
He straightened his coat as he stood. "Yes." He watched her carefully, grinning as she ran her hands along the opening of the coat.   
"You won't need this," she said, removing it slowly.  
All he could do was grin like an idiot ...after all, his night just went from "yowch" to "yowzah," all in less than 30 minutes. As she folded his coat, an envelope fell from the breast pocket to the floor.  
"What's this?" she asked the smiling doctor.  
"Oh, B.E.N. dropped that off just before sex ...six. Six."  
She smiled at his Freudian slip, and opened the letter. Her smiled quickly faded into a frown. Delbert watched her facial expression changed and inquired about what the note said.  
"Apparently the naval heads have requested the Legacy help escort a fleet of royal ships from Nexus VII to a planet in the Procyan nebula."  
"Why?"  
"Pirates, love. Hoards of them. That and the Gandorian navy about halfway to the nebula. Nasty group to get mixed in with. No guns leaves you highly vulnerable out there."  
"Why would royalty want to go through such dangerous space?"  
"It beats the asteroid belt that surrounds the shortest distance to."  
"I see," he sighed. "When do you leave?"  
"They want us to arrive at Nexus VII in two weeks, so.... tomorrow."  
"Oh."  
"Which means I have to round up the second half of a crew by tomorrow morning..."  
"So you'll start tonight," he grumbled, taking his coat from her.  
"I'm sorry, Delbert."  
"Oh, I know it's not your fault. Get going so you don't have to be up all night."  
She nodded and headed for the front door. "I hope I can round up enough qualified crew members in time."  
"I could recommend a few."  
Amelia laughed. "The last time I let you pick a crew, I ended up with a few broken ribs," she shrugged her coat on, chuckling, "Quite frankly dear, you're horrible luck."  
She kissed him once then headed for her carriage. He sighed, leaning against the door frame, "Horrible luck indeed."  
  
  
To be continued...  
  
Ok ...be gentle. This is my first fanfic EVER. Reviews are always welcome and greatly encouraged. Flames are reluctantly accepted, but via e-mail please. Let me know I suck in private so that I may keep some of my pride. If anyone likes it, I may continue :)  
  
CaptDuck96@netscape.net 


	2. Chapter 2

Chap. 2  
  
Disclaimer the second: I own nothing.  
  
Admiral Plovk stared intensely at Captain Amelia, but the gaze from a man with 13 eyes could sometimes seem worse than it really was meant to be. Add that to the fact the Amelia hadn't slept all night, and it was understandable that she wanted very badly to leave the Admiral's office and steal a few hours of sleep before they had to launch.   
"I hear you've had difficulty in finding a full crew complement," the Admiral's deep voice said as he pulled all 13 gray eyes from her down to her composed list of crew members.  
"Well I did recieve only 12 hours notice," Amelia defended crisply, "I feel I did quite well for someone on my time constraint."  
"I agree, Captain," said Plovk, setting 6 of his eyes back on the feline captain, "But I want all three ships accompanying the royal family to have a full roster. Security is of the utmost importance. Should you run into trouble, I want as many hands as possible working to defend the heads of state."  
"Understandable."  
"However, with quite a few of our officers either in the middle rim fighting the I.O.A. or helping with cadet training, I feel we may have to resort to extremes in order to fill our need for reliable men."  
"Extremes, sir?" Amelia's eyebrows rose. Just how extreme was he willing to get?  
"The senior class has a few exemplary students that may fill the positions well."  
"Academy cadets? Absolutely not." *Students?* she thought, * Next he'll tell me we'll use the ex-pirates in the prisons to help man the sails.*  
Plovk gaped at her. "Why not? They're less than a year behind that new lieutenant you got last week."  
"You haven't heard about my sail, have you sir?"   
He grinned. "I believe the exact words Captain Raymond used were, 'The vein was visably pulsing on her beautiful forehead'."  
Amelia rolled her eyes. "Yes, well, if a GRADUATE can commit such simple errors, what about cadets? No offense sir, but I'm an officer, not a baby-sitter. I don't want to be responsible for a bunch of children in a potentially dangerous area of the etherium."  
"They're all legally adults, and they are highly qualified, Captain. I assure you, I'm sending nothing but the best."  
"Sir, what about their schooling?" *Ha. I've got him now.*  
"Basic training in senior year requires a field run, you know that. THIS will be their field run."  
*Damn.* "Quite the highly advanced field run," she pointed out.  
"They're highly advanced cadets," he countered, smiling widely at her, flashing all 58 glistening white teeth at her.  
Amelia sighed. The extra hands would be nice, but the pressure on her to return the Legacy unscathed would be even greater. *What's the lesser of two evils: potentially losing a young cadet in space or being short-handed in an emergency?*  
"You will have two other ships accompanying you, Captain."  
"Somehow any ship run by Raymond is not what I'd consider to be a strength to our operation," she noted sarcastically.  
"Cannon fodder."  
She laughed at this. *Hmm, maybe he IS useful after all. The visual is tempting anyway.* "Sir, his iguana..." she said with mock concern.  
"Filthy thing bit me. I'd just as soon see it back to the hell from whence it came."   
She shook her head. With the extra help from the two other ships, she may be able to get those kids home safely. But still...could she tolerate the insubordination? The rebelliousness? And what if that attitude got them killed?  
"So," Plovk prodded, interrupting Amelia's thoughts, "I should send the cadets up to the Legacy at 10 00 tomorrow, correct?" He gave her a stern look with all eyes, as if daring her to say no to his request.  
"Are you ordering me?" she raised her chin. *Please don't...*  
"If I have to," he narrowed his eyes at her, knowing full well he had her right where he wanted her. She was never one to outwardly disobey an order from a higher ranking officer.  
She sighed, defeated. "Very well. 10 00 sharp."  
  
***************  
Jim heard the shuffling of feet against the cold wood floor and the hot breath of four mouths before he heard them speak.  
"Hawkins! Hey, Hawkins!"  
"Rise and shine over-achiever!"  
"Up and at 'em bubble butt!"  
"Bubble butt?" Jim Hawkins groaned into his pillow. He turned one sleepy eye toward his roommate, who was the source of the...interesting comment on his posterior. Next to his double-mouthed roommate Xhor was his neighbor from across the hall, Chris, and his frightfully bald roommate, Zek. Zek punched Xhor.  
"That was dumb," he said, referring to Xhor's rather pathetic insult.  
"What?"  
"Bubble butt. That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard."  
"YOU'RE the stupidest thing I've ever heard," Xhor shot back. Zek trained his eyes on Xhor, who glared back, a snear on both sets of lips. Both looked ready to pounce on the other.  
"Enough guys," Jim said, breaking the death glares being shot between the two would-be combatants. "We don't want to get any demerits," he said, dragging himself out of bed, "Besides, this is supposed to be the start of the best two weeks of our schooling. We finally go on field training, we get away from a bunk watched by drill sergent "killjoy," AND best of all, I've got a ship assignment aboard the Justinian with 'Hot Veronica'."  
"I still don't know how you lucked out with that Hawkins," Chris said, plopping none to gracefully on Xhor's bed. "All the guys on the floor hate you even more now," he remarked vaguely, half distracted by his unpure thoughts of the blonde enchantress that was "hot Veronica."  
"Even more?" Jim questioned, shrugging into his white uniform pants, "They hated me before?"  
"Yeah," Zek said, finally ignoring Xhor, "Remember how your A+ essay inspired Captain Yu to give us that project? The class still hasn't forgiven you for that."  
"Neither have I," Xhor quipped, "Do you have any idea how long it took me to do that?"  
"Shut up, you did it the night before," Chris spoke to Xhor, then turned back to Jim, who was fastening the buckle on his belt, "But really, how DID you manage to convince them to let you on the Justinian?"  
"Simple. I'm top of the class. The teachers love me and are willing to oblige," Jim joked.   
"Brown-noser."  
"Butt kisser."  
Zek made kissing noises. "Oh, sure Corporal Stenton, I'll do your extra credit," he mocked, "Of course I got an 'A' or your exam Captain Dow, I ALWAYS study. I never party and always always study. Kiss kiss."  
"Hey, unlike you, my admittance into this place was riding solely on a recommendation from a friend," Jim said, pulling on the shirt to his cadet's uniform, "If I don't perform, she'll probably kill me."  
"SHE? Hawkins, you're afraid of a girl?" Chris asked incredulously.  
"You've obviously never met her," Jim smiled at his friends, thinking of the Legacy's sharp-tongued captain. *I'd bet my next week worth of rations they wouldn't last ten seconds on Amelia's ship...*  
"What makes you say that?"  
"You're NOT afraid of her." Jim smirked and stood up, grabbing his bag that he had packed the night prior. "Well boys, it's been fun, but I've got 2 weeks away with the great and benevolent Captain Horvath and 'Hot Veronica.' See ya." He hadn't even made a full footstep out of the door when...  
"HAWKINS!" a booming voice resounded through the bunk.  
Jim stood at attention, suppressing his frown as Sergeant Olvisby (aka 'killjoy') entered Jim's room.  
"Yes sir?" Jim glanced back at the Sergeant, who was glaring at Jim like he was some bug in jar, there to be scrutinized.   
"Change in plans for field training. You won't be aboard the Justinian."  
"WHAT?!? Why not?" Jim shouted, disbelieving. *But I specifically asked for it...! What about my hot spacer girl?*  
"No questions, cadet," Olvisby spat, obviously disgusted that a cadet saw fit to question him, "You will report to the Legacy at 10 00 sharp, is that clear?"  
"The what?"  
"Are you DEAF, son?" the Sergeant roared, fed up with such a negligent cadet, "Report to the Legacy, 10 00!"  
"Yes, sir," Jim grumbled. With that, Olvisby turned on one heel and marched briskly out of the dormitory. The four stood in slience until Xhor broke it with a cough.  
"Oooh," his top mouth said, "That hurts. No hot spacer for you buddy."  
"That's the least of my problems," Jim groaned. "Remember that friend I was telling you about...?"  
  
*************  
  
When Amelia finally woke the sun was peaking through the windows on the left side of her quarters. She shut her eyes firmly again, blocking out the sunlight and trying to ignore the pounding headache she had. She lay still in her bed, thinking about the voyage that lay before her: two weeks to Nexus VII, followed by three weeks to the Procyan nebula, and two and a half more to bring them all home again. She glanced out the window to see the waking spaceport outside. *Seven and a half weeks until I see it all again,* she sighed to herself. Her heart sank as she thought more on the time span of the journey. Seven and a half weeks away from the spaceport meant seven and a half weeks away from Montressor, and, consequently, seven and a half weeks away from Delbert. Could she hold out that long? Without a doubt--after all, she had been gone longer in the past. *Still,* she thought, *I never had a lover waiting for me when I returned before.* Since they had begun seeing each other, Amelia had surely been separated from her less articulate half; her job required long trips--such was the life of a spacer... A life she loved and Delbert never once asked her to give up. But those times away from him usually never took any longer than three weeks or so. He had even accompanied her on some of the longer ones. The thought of him and the prospect of the empty bed awaiting her each night for 52 lonely nights made her somewhat dispirited; she did love the man after all, and wasn't so unfeeling as to not miss said man over the course of a long, potentially stressful trip.  
She sighed and pulled herself out of bed, slipping out of her sleep wear and into her crisp Captain's uniform. However she might feel about leaving, and however her head may be furiously and unforgivingly pounding, duty called, and Captain Amelia of the RLS Legacy ALWAYS answered. She treaded into her stateroom, which was only half-repaired and therefore in a terrible sort of disarray. The contractor had managed to replace the glass windows with their fine golden trim, and had somewhat patched up the nasty hole in the floor. With well over a year, one would think that such repairs would be long finished, but this particular contractor was a bit overzealous in his decorating, and not so much in his construction. Though the gold trim he picked out for the windows was very nice indeed, Amelia hardly found it worth the two months and the near half of her budget he used to pick it out, or the six months he spent trying to properly fit in sturdy windows around it on his dramatically slimmed monetary limit. Some of the ceiling also needed to be re-set, and had been once, until a small disaster on a routine cargo mission revealed that the cracked buttresses that held the ceiling up ALSO needed to be replaced, and thus sent the newly painted ceiling crashing. Thus the work had to be started over, only after convincing the central naval command that they should appropriate the funds for repairs. She sat at her new desk, where a hot cafe lattoid was already awaiting her. *Like clockwork,* she smiled to herself, taking a sip. While the drink was tasty and utterly satisfying at such an early hour, it wasn't exactly the best she had ever had. She smiled wryly to herself as she remembered an earlier day when the lattoids she got were simply heavenly. *Damn that pirate. To think such a vile brute could make such a fabulous coffee.*  
A brisk sounding of three short knocks sounded at her door and she looked up. She knew very well that her first mate would be on the other side, a large reptilian man with a quiet demeanor and a deep, thickly accented voice.  
"Come," she called to him.  
He stepped into the room and stood at attention. "Reporting vor duty, Capton."  
Amelia acknowledged this with a short nod. She rose from her chair and stood looking out her ridiculously expensive window, her back to her second-in-command. "Turgevny," she started, "Has the crew arrived yet?"  
"Zey are mostly here, Capton. Ve have only to vait vor za cadots and za navigator."  
"Good. I trust the ship is in order and will be ready for launch at 11 00?"  
"Aye, Capton. Ve vill be vaiting vor your command."  
"Very good, Turgevny. Dismissed."  
The reptilian turned and left the stateroom without so much as a single noice. Amelia continued to gaze out of her window, all the while thinking of her old first mate. God, how she missed Arrow sometimes. While Turgevny was loyal and a fine officer, there just wasn't the chemistry that she and Arrow had had. He was the finest assistant she could ask for, and the finest friend she could ever want. His death had hit her harder than anyone could possibly imagine; only Delbert knew that behind the gruff exterior, she still badly mourned the loss of one of her oldest and dearest friends. Shaking off the last of the melancholy nostalgia, she turned and left her stateroom, bound for the deck, so that she may inspect the ship before the final members of her crew arrived.  
  
*************  
  
Jim led the small group of cadets down the docking bays of the spaceport. Though they had all been there many times before, none of them had yet seen the Legacy. The others seemed awed at the honor and somewhat nervous about meeting a Captain they had never seen before and boarding a ship they had only heard about...one girl was even chewing nervously on her nails. Jim smiled inwardly at the blonde nail-biter; he knew that Amelia was mostly bark and little bite...*(er...mostly meow and little scratch?)* He smiled at her reassuringly, "Nervous?"  
"Yes!" she burst, "Aren't you?"  
"Aw, it won't be that bad."  
"Won't be that bad!" a tiny voice chimed in from Jim's right pants pocket. Morph came flitting out at that moment and nuzzled Jim's cheek affectionately.  
"You brought a pet?" the girl exclaimed, "Are you DAFT? The captain'll kill you!"  
"Kill you! Kill you!" Morph piped up.  
"Who? Morph? He's harmless. Trust me, it'll be fine."  
"Whatever you say hotshot."  
"Haven't seen you around much," Jim remarked, "I'm afraid I don't know who you are. I'm..."  
"Oh, I know who you are Jim Hawkins."  
Jim gaped at her, then led the group around a few crates of Arcturian solar crystals and to the far left. "How do you...?"  
"Know you?" she smirked, "Everyone knows the culprit behind Captain Yu's big project."  
He blushed. "Oh. Terrific."  
"Rumor has it you're quite the student."  
"I try," he smiled.  
"Sure. So, why are you so darn confident about this voyage, hotshot?"  
"Yeah, I wouldn't be, Jim," a short Galaxian spoke from behind him. He leaned in close and looked in all directions, pivoting his head 360 degrees on its axis, to make sure no one was listening. Then he said, "I heard this captain has so many medals that he can't wear them all because together they weigh more than he does."  
"That's nothing!" a Canian female broke in, "I heard he was so ruthless that he made his WHOLE crew work 76 hours straight during a solar storm. No food! No sleep!"  
"I heard he's been married 5 times and each time his spouse left him because they said he was crazy," a human male mumbled, "The BAD kind of crazy."  
Jim laughter was joined only by Morph's giggle. "I'm telling you," Jim said knowingly, "Those are all false rumors." He led the band of students up the ramp to the ship.  
"Oh yeah?" the human male challenged, "How do you know?"  
"Yeah, Hawkins," the Canian mocked, "What did you do? Write a report on him?"  
The Canian and human laughed, but were quickly silenced by the presence of a large reptilian officer.  
"I take it zat you are za cadots."  
"Yes, sir," Jim spoke up when no answer came from the others.  
"Vell, ve are about to get undervay. I vill be giving you posts to attend to, and you are to report to zem immediately."  
"Aye, aye, Captain!" the human and Galaxian rang.  
"Aye, sir!" the Canian and blonde female saluted.  
Jim waited a few moments, then looked at his classmates as he stressed, "Yes, sir, COMMANDER."  
Turgevny nodded once and handed each student a sheet of paper with job assignment and bunk position on it as the students looked, shocked, at Jim.  
"What have you done?" the human male hissed, "You've just undermined his rank."  
"By ze vay," the reptilian spoke again, "I am not your captain. Ze captain is busy at ze moment inspecting the ship."  
Jim's smirk to the others was almost blinding as Turgevny walked away. "Who's got the wrong rank now, Calden?" he referred to the human.  
"How the hell did you know he wasn't the captain?" the Canian demanded.  
"Because SHE'S the captain," he said pointing to the bridge where Amelia was speaking with her helmsman.  
"Her? She doesn't look very viscous to me," the Galaxian said.  
"She's not viscous --strict, hell yes-- but not cruel. She's won a lot of medals, that's true, but doesn't flaunt that. As for the marriage thing, she's never been married OR crazy."  
"Dammit, you really DID do a report on her, didn't you, Hawkins?" the Canian gaped, "You stupid over-achiever."  
"No!" Jim said, frustrated, "We've met before. She's a friend of my mom and myself."  
The human male took that opportunity to look at his assignment. "Aft gunner's assistant? How do you assist a gunner? 'Oh yeah, sir. You've got a great shot! Take that you dirty pirates! Yeeeaahh! Who's your daddy?' A load of bull."  
"Better than mine," the blonde one sighed, "I've got lookout duty. Yea."  
"Navigational assistant," the Galaxian smiled at his paper, "Hey, I get to be on the bridge."  
"Oh, gunner's assistant ....grrreeaaat job. 'Oh Mr. Gunner-man, how do you do it? Oh, you mean PULL THE TRIGGER?! Gee, never woulda guessed...'."  
The Canian smiled widely as she read her assignment, "Engineering assistant. There we go, a REAL job."  
"I can just see the credibility coming off of this field training assignment, 'Yeah, Calden is real good at encouraging gunners. He's a great gunner's assistant...' A gunner doesn't need a damn assistant!"  
"Well, hotshot here probably got a great job since he know the captain so well," the blonde said, folding her paper and tucking it into her pants pocket, "Go ahead, read it."  
"Yeah they probably made you a Lieutenant or something," the Galaxian said glumly.  
"Yeah, so you can boss the lowly GUNNER'S ASSISTANT around!"  
Jim opened his paper, expecting to see something at the very least as good as Navigational assistant. After all, his voyage to Treasure Planet should have more than proved to Amelia that he was very capable. And she DID recommend him to the academy. "Well ladies and gents," he said, opening his sheet and holding it at eye level, "You are now looking at the Legacy's newest...CABIN BOY!?"  
The group of students burst out laughing.   
"Cabin boy! Cabin boy!" Morph sung.  
"No way," the blonde said, pulling the paper from his hand. She read over it:  
  
James Hawkins  
Bunk 17a  
Assignment: Cabin Boy  
Please report to Capt. Amelia.  
  
"Wow, not bad, hotshot, you get to handle the mop."  
"Yeah, don't strain yourself, Hawkins," the Canian laughed, heading toward the bowels of the ship, where the head engineer would likely be.  
"Sorry," the Galaxian shrugged, as he happily headed for the bridge.  
"See you in the galley, I guess, C.B.," the blonde smirked, leaving to report to her superior.  
The human male stared at him a minute. "Wow," he finally said, "Our jobs suck."  
"Tell me about it."  
"But there is a bright side," the male cocked his head.  
"Oh?" Jim asked, petting Morph on the stomach, "And that would be...?"  
"YOUR JOB SUCKS MORE THAN MINE!!" he laughed and headed for the gunner's station.  
  
To be continued...  
  
Ch. 3...the Legacy gets underway, Jim gets a better job, and maybe I'll get far enough to meet the royals...depends on how lazy I feel :)  
I appreciate the first two review I got...I'm glad you like it and am really thinking about how to incorporate some of your suggestions in to what I already have planned. Until next post...r/r and toodles!  
  
Aloha  
  
J. 


	3. Chapter 3

Ch. 3  
  
Disclaimer the third.: Still own nothing.  
  
  
The memo said report to the Captain, so that was exactly what he was going to do. *Cabin boy?* he thought to himself, fuming, *I've been in the academy almost two years, I'm top of the class and my record is spotless...ok, nearly, spotless...ok, so it's spotted but still, how could she do this to me?* He marched up to the bridge and demanded to know where the captain had run off to.  
"Her stateroom," the helmsman said briefly, pointing to the upper deck.  
*She drags me all the way to the spaceport, away from an easy assignment and the cutest cadet in the academy to mop her damn floors? We'll see about that.* He thrust open the door and bargged in, not knocking, and not caring much to.  
"Captain," he started, ignoring her look that was an odd cross between suprised and intolerant of his unannounced entrance, "Cabin boy? You made me cabin boy?"  
"One is required to knock before entering an officer's quarters, am I clear?" she glared at him.  
He stopped, shoulders slumped, and sighed, "Fine."  
"Fine...?"  
"Fine, ma'am."  
"Good. Now, I suspect you are here to complain to me about your post," she said, sitting at her desk and looking pointedly at him.  
"Yes! I don't get it. Ok, so maybe I get in trouble with a few of the officers at the academy for breaking a few rules, but I think I'm perfectly capable of handling something a little more than bussing tables all day."  
"I agree."  
"And mopping the deck...and picking up after every...what?"  
"I said, I agree with you. Surely you can take a joke, Mister Hawkins."  
"A joke? So my assignments just a joke?" he sighed with relief, "Ok, so what are you really going to make me?"  
"Well, it's mostly a joke," she said, gesturing to a chair directly across from her desk, motioning him to sit. She looked at him for a moment, then spoke again. "Mister Hawkins, I'm not going to lie to you. We are going to be traveling through some rather violent space and I thoroughly dislike the idea of bringing cadets on a mission to said space. Being that we are escorting a royal fleet, spacer etiquette dictates that YOU die before the royals do, so if some damn pirate or rebel militia decides to lash out at the royals, we'll be the ones jumping in front of the bullets, so to speak."  
"And you don't think we can do it," Jim cut in, "Look, I don't know about the others, but I'm more than willing. You saw me on Treasure Planet, you know I'm capable of..."  
"I never said I found you or any of the others incapable, Mister Hawkins," Amelia interrupted his tirade, "As captain of this ship I am responsible for all the lives on it, including five VERY young ones. I'm not sure I like the pressure. I know next to nothing about the others or how they act, and I therefore don't know how trustworthy they can be in an emergency."  
Jim just nodded in understanding.  
"This is where you come in, Mister Hawkins," she continued, "If I've learned anything from our little...problem aboard our mission to Treasure Planet it's that sometimes people can not be totally trusted. And in the area of space we are headed to, there are hundreds of such folk. Thus to counter any problems I may have inside and outside of my ship, I need everyone I can totally trust on my side."  
Jim beamed to himself. *Wow, she TRUSTS me...*  
"I want you to act as a sort of assistant to my first mate, Turgevny. He's not the most...friendly man sometimes, and I realize this sort of stance may put off the younger cadets. I need you to help keep order amongst them and squelch any rebelliousness, etc."  
He nodded.  
"Also, I ask you to just keep an overall eye on the ship and your surroundings. Any suspicious activity will likely cease around an officer, but not so much around a simple 'cabin boy.' The Procyan nebula is known to have some con-artists and pirates. Let me know immediately if you think any crew members may be falling into or participating in, a trap."  
"Aye, captain."  
"Oh, and one more thing, I trust you learned a culinary trick or two from that old pirate, Silver?"  
"If you're looking forward to a bonza beast stew, I'm afraid you're out of luck," Jim said, then added as an afterthought, "Ma'am."  
"No, but I do want a cafe lattoid here at 07 00 each morning. The ones I've been getting lately are lacking."  
"You're still going to make me do those damn chores, aren't you?"  
"Yes."  
Jim rolled his eyes. "Look," he said, heading for the door, "If you wanted me to act like a spy of sorts for you, why couldn't you attach a better job to go with it?"  
"Now, Mister Hawkins, I can't look like I'm playing favorites, now, can I? One might think I was losing my edge."  
"Right. So I get the shaft and have to get stuck tying riggings."  
"Precisely. Off with you now, Mister Hawkins. I'm counting on you."  
"Sure thing."  
"Oh, and Mister Hawkins," Amelia called out to his retreating back.  
Jim turned back to observe the captain standing tall and straight, with arms crossed and eyes boring into him.  
"See that you don't soon forget to refer to me as 'Captain.' 'Sure thing' is not an acceptable answer."  
Jim groaned to himself. It was going to be a long voyage indeed. "Sure thing, CAPTAIN."  
  
**********  
  
By the time the ship had launched and headed in the direction of Nexus VII, Jim was already beginning to get voraciously hungry. As he spanned the masts, double checking the security of the solar sails, he felt like doing nothing more than settling down with a huge sandwich. Tightening up the last knot, he began to climb down the shrouds on the starboard side, Morph floating in air beside him.  
"So Morph, what do you think? Roast beast sandwich?"  
Morph licked his protoplasmic lips and hummed gleefully. Jim smiled at him, and headed for the galley. For a split second, he expected to climb down the stairs and see the cyborg Silver, his mechanical arm chopping away at some root or another. Instead, the galley was occupied by a thin alien, green, with one eye and five tentacles. The cook quickly turned an acknowledged Jim.  
"Well, if it isn't the cabin boy. Do you have any idea what time it is?" he said, in a saccharine voice.  
"Sorry, left my clock in my other pants," Jim remarked, rolling his eyes, "What's cooking?"  
The alien ignored the comment and looked sharply at Jim, "For your information, it's almost LUNCHTIME."  
"Yeah, I kinda figured as much."  
"Which means that you, cabin boy, are supposed to be helping me set up before..."  
The galley suddenly began to fill, as numerous crew members piled in.  
"SEE! Now you have put me behind!" the cook cried, thrusting some plates filled with food into Jim's hands, "Go! Put it on the tables!"  
"Yeah, I'll tell you where you can put it," Jim mumbled, laying the plates down in front of the crew. *This plan of Amelia's better be worth it...*  
When he was finished serving lunch, Jim took a seat beside some of the cadets with his own plate of...what the hell was it, anyway?  
"So, C.B.," the blonde girl smiled, "How's the day been?"  
"Not bad, minus the cook. What am I eating anyway?"  
"Ask him," Calden jerked a thumb at the cook.  
Jim turned to the cook, who was seasoning some meat to hold for dinner. "Hey, what's in this grub anyway?"  
"GRUB?" the cook asked, scandalized, "I am a maestro of the culinary arts! My work is not GRUB."  
"Sure, what's in this 'masterpiece'?"  
"Purps in a white wine sauce with balanga root and Killarian lizard gizzards."  
Jim's face lost it's color. *What is it with this ship's cooks? If it's not eyeballs, it's gizzards.* Still, he had to eat, and the cook and him were'nt exactly buddies, so he doubted he get something other than what was on the menu. Picking around the chunks of gizzard, he choked down what he considered to be the worst waste of purps ever. *Well, one thing's for sure, I may or may not see any action on this voyage, but I'll definitely be a lot skinnier.* He turned his attention from musing over his soon to be emaciated form to Calden and the Galaxian, who were now fighting with one another.  
"Hey, it's not MY fault the captain gave you such a boring job!"  
"Well you don't have to rub it in you freak!"  
"Freak?! You're standing here with pink skin and a neck that can only move 90 degrees to either side and I'M a freak?!"  
'I'd say so!"  
The galaxian lept over the table at the human, aiming for his 'disfunctional' neck. The two fell backward, crashing into the table behind them, sending lunches flying everywhere.  
"My lunch!"  
"My shirt!"  
"My MASTERPIECE!"  
*Ok,* Jim thought, *Maybe the captain was right about this whole cadet thing. Well, here goes my third official duty as 'cabin boy.'*  
He grabbed the galaxian by back of his jacket and pulled him away from Calden.  
"Hey Hawkins!" Calden said, getting to his feet, "Lemme at 'em!"  
Jim stepped between the two. "You know you're going to get in loads of trouble with the captain for this..." he started. *I don't know how to tell people off for breaking rules! Half the time my superiors are telling ME off!*  
"Save it Hawkins," the Galaxian spat, trying to jump at Calden.  
"Just knock it the hell off," Jim yelled at the two of them, "The more you two fight, the messier this galley gets. The messier this galley gets, the more work I have to do to fix it. The more work I do, the harder I beat you both when I'm finished. Now stop fighting or I'll give you a real reason to have to deal blows!"  
The two males just stared at Jim. As a matter of fact, the entire galley now had their eyes trained on him.  
"Whoa," the main engineer whistled, "Cabin boy's got some authority."  
"That's right!" Jim wheeled around on him, "So you can shut up, eat up, and then get the hell out of the galley so I can finish these dishes!" With that he dropped the Galaxian, sending him tumbling to the floor. He then stormed into the washroom.  
When he returned three minutes later, the galley was empty.  
  
***********  
  
They were about three hours from Nexus VII when Jim woke. In the last two weeks he had had to split up three fights between the cadets, and had kept a close eye on the artificial gravity specialist. Much to his disappointment, his sneaky actions and guilty looks were all because he was taking food from the galley after hours, a crime which only the cook took very seriously. Due to his mounting dislike for the self-absorbed cook, Jim had chosen not to reveal the culprit when half the cook's supply of Jangr fruit went missing in action. Jim was quite pleased, however, that Amelia kept him up-to-date on the voyage. She obviously viewed his job for her as very important and one to be taken seriously. And he did take it seriously...well, minus seeing that the cook's aprons were properly washed. *Gentle cycle, heavy-duty cycle, they're practically twins,* he had snickered to himself. He was not the least bit surprised when the colorful aprons came back with large holes in them--nor was he the least bit sorry. Today, the Leagacy would be rendezvousing with the royal fleet, and Captain Amelia would be meeting with the royal family. He threw on his cadet's uniform and headed for the upper decks. There, the two large naval ships Nefarious and Queen Isle flanked the Legacy, which was the main ship, on either side. They were close enough to allow one to board the Legacy, which was what the other ship's captains were proceeding to do. From the Queen Isle came a rather old looking spacer, a human of maybe 60 years. From the Nefarious, a large and extravagantly dressed Captain Raymond came strutting aboard. Both passed Jim without so much as a glance on the way to Amelia's stateroom. He followed behind the two captains. The elder of the two raised a wrinkled fist to knock on the stateroom door, but Raymond just whisked it open, claiming that she was already expecting them. Jim stood in the doorway, watching.  
"Ahh, Amelia," Raymond said, placing a large hand on her shoulder as she was straightening out her uniform in a large mirror, "You look simply ravishing today. You make my heart leap."  
"And you, sir, make my stomach turn. Kindly remove your hand from my shoulder before you find it is no longer attached to your arm," she sneered at him. He dropped his hand and she turned to face him. "And as I recall, I never stated we were on a first-name basis." Her expression softened as she turned to see Jim in the doorway. "Mister Hawkins, do come in." Jim walked in and stood next to the older man. "Mister Hawkins," Amelia spoke, leaning against her desk, "I believe I discussed proper etiquette on board a ship with you a while back, correct?"  
"Yes, ma'am."  
"Please, Mister Hawkins, enlighten Captain Raymond on the proper way to enter an officer's quarters."  
Jim turned to the cocky captain with a sarcastic grin. "I believe you knock first, sir."  
"Terrific, Mister Hawkins," Amelia smirked, "Now, Mister Raymond, if a cadet can follow such simple instructions, I really do believe even you can."  
Jim and the older captain both stifled laughter.  
"Now Amelia, there's no reason to be so cross with me," Raymond said, "Anger really doesn't do your lovely face justice."  
"Save it," Amelia stood up straight, "Now gentleman and ruffian, this here is Mister Jim Hawkins. He is one of my trustworthy crew members and I believe he will be a valuable asset in the most violent zones of our voyage. As you're aware, the King and Queen have requested that their children be aboard one of our ships, so if trouble should arise, and the royal ship should come under fire or sabotage, the children will be safe. Mister Raymond, I believe the Nefarious will be best suited to this task. If we should fall under attack and defeat looks eminent, you are to break away and make an escape straight away to Crescentia. Understood?"  
"Yes."  
"Now, the children will be brought to your ship and said to be meerly attendants to the royals, instructed to oversee operations on the escort ships. To see that their real identities aren't spilt and our secret blown, as well as to provide basic security to the royals, I am sending Mister Hawkins over to your ship."  
"His ship?" Jim's eyes widened, "Why?"  
"Indeed, Amelia," Raymond countered, "I think you're just trying to saddle me with one of your troublesome cadets."  
"For the last time sir, you will refer to me as Captain while you are on my vessel," Amelia snapped, "And furthermore, I am not SADDLING you with a 'troublesome cadet,' Mister Hawkins is the only person I know I can trust 110% to not mess this up, minus my own first officer, who I'll need should we have to fight."  
"But really..."  
"Sir, let me make this transparently clear, so that even your minuscule brain may comprehend it: I was hired as the head of this voyage, and therefore you report to ME. I've given you an order. Now carry it out."  
Raymond scowled at her, then straightened up. "Very well, I'll take him over to my ship with me once the royals arrive."  
Jim addressed Amelia, "What about my duties here?"  
"Mister Hawkins, while I do appreciate your help in maintaining order amongst the cadets, as well as making a bang-up lattoid, I told you at the very beginning of this mission that the security of the royal family is first and foremost. If it means sacrificing order and possibly safety here to protect them, well, so it must be. I trust you will do your best to keep the royals on board the Nefarious safe."  
"I'll protect them with my life, Captain."  
"Very good." She turned to the elder captain. "Captain Owens and I will be the prime defenders in battle--he has the biggest guns anyhow."  
The older man just gave her a polite nod.  
"As for you, Captain Raymond, I expect you treat my crew member here with the utmost respect and regard anything he says very seriously. Mister Hawkins, you are to report to me at 20 00 everyday, understood?"  
"Aye, Captain."  
"Very well. Gentlemen, let's try and make this mission as successful and non-confrontational as possible."  
With that, she turned and left her stateroom for the bridge. Owens followed her silently, and Raymond glared once at Jim before heading for the door. "Mark my words," he narrowed his eyes at him, "You'd better mind your p's and q's on board my ship."  
Jim glared back. "You're just jealous she likes me better than she likes you," he mumbled sarcastically.  
  
*************  
  
Amelia's gaze fell over the royal family, who were all decked in lavish silk and gold, as they boarded the Legacy. As much as she hated the formalities, they were a part of her job, so she fastened her captain's hat and made her way down to the main deck.  
"Captain Amelia, I presume," the king spoke, holding out one of his two right hands for her to shake, "I've heard many marvelous things about you."  
"You flatter me, your highness. I am honored to welcome you aboard the Legacy, the flagship of this operation. This is Captain Johnathan Owens," she pointed to her right, "of the Queen Isle and," she pointed to the left, "this is Captain Raymond of the Nefarious."  
"A pleasure to meet you both," the King bowed slightly. He turned to Amelia and said in a low voice, "I trust you've made arrangements for my request?"  
"Of course your majesty. Your children will be safe aboard the Nefarious. I'm seneding over a trustworthy crew member of mine, Jim Hawkins to oversee their affairs. He is about their age, so they find the arrangement less awkward."  
"Good, good," the king rubbed his chin with his upper left hand, "When do we make way for the nebula?"  
"Immediately, sir."  
"Excellent. I shall return to my cruiser. Feel free to communicate with me at any time should the need arise, Captain."  
"I shall your highness," Amelia said, bowing as the king and his queen left. The two children, a male and female, were taken over to the Nefarious along with Jim, who cast one last glance at Amelia. She gave him a meaningful look. *Don't fail me, Mister Hawkins.*  
  
  
  
To be continued...  
  
Whoa, I had trouble w/ this particular chapter...I'm still trying to get Jim's personality down, so I was basically using this to try and do just that. If it sucks, (and I guess it kinda does...) well...I'll try harder next time.. -_-'. Anyway, the plot will thicken, I promise, so hang in there...as for you Doppler fans, I wouldn't DREAM of leaving him out...he'll be back, I promise. (I'm Sooooooo pro- D/A anyway :) ) Again, please send flames to me in private at my e-mail address CaptDuck96@netscape.net.  
  
Ciao   
  
J. 


	4. Chapter 4

Ch.4  
Ch.4  
  
Disclaimer the fourth: No owning here.  
  
  
Delbert Doppler sat in his den by the fireplace, staring pensively into the flames. He had tried to finish his letter to Amelia, but how could he possibly explain how much he truly wanted her company, how long the last three weeks had been, how intensively bored he was, or how friggin' aggravated he was over his messed up proposal? He had already composed about half a page explaining how he missed her, and wishing her luck, luck, and more luck on her voyage, and of course he couldn't bring up the proposal he hadn't made yet. He growled in frustration at the dancing flames, recalling just how badly that night before she left had left had gone. Why the hell was he so inarticulate anyway? He should have just said something and been done with it, but no, he had to be a damn coward. Had to make sure the dinner was right, the lighting was perfect, and most importantly, the words were just right. Then again, the dinner had burnt, they hadn't even gone into the perfectly lit dining room, and he never got one word of his proposal out. All in all, it was a bust, and all because he had to be so damn picky and cover up his insecurities with fancy candles and fish fillets. Turning back to the paper he set his jaw and grabbed his pen. This was it. He was going to get that proposal out even if she WAS hundreds of thousands of miles away. He took only a moment to think, then began writing furiously:  
  
My dearest Amelia,  
  
I hope this letter finds you in good health. I've heard that Jim is accompanying you, so I'm sure you've got some good company at the very least. I can't tell you how quiet or lonely Montressor seems without you. The casual dinners and long conversations I hold with you are so very important to me, and not having you here makes my heart ache in ways I never thought possible. I think about you every second of everyday, everything from your gorgeous green eyes to your sharp, intelligent wit. You are everything I want in my life and more, and being parted from you feels like an eternity of servitude in hell. Though we may be far apart at the moment, I want to let you know that I deeply love and respect you. I imagine right now you are rolling your eyes and thinking me a rambling lovesick fool, and maybe rightfully so. I wait eagerly for your return, as I sit here alone in my den, staring at flames which so remind me of your spirit, and have only one thing to ask of you, so that my soul may rest peacefully while you are away. Darling, will you...  
  
  
He stopped. *Write it. Write it, you damn fool.*  
  
...will you...  
  
*A 'M' Delbert...*  
  
...will you m...  
  
*...A...R...R..Y...c'mon man!*  
  
He sighed and plunked his pen on the table. Four simple words. A child could easily say them. He was a scholar for pity's sake. This shouldn't be so hard. *Just write something already!* He picked up his pen, held it above the paper, and stared hard at it, as if staring down an opponent.  
  
...will you ma...  
  
*Damn.*  
  
...will you make sure that Jim stays out of trouble? Sarah's been worried sick about him, and though I know you run a fabulous ship, I really need to set her mind at ease.  
  
*Coward, Delbert. You're a stupid, stupid, coward.*  
  
*************  
  
...I really need to set her mind at ease. Write me soon, I long to hear from you.  
  
All my love for eternity,  
  
Delbert  
  
*For someone so bad with speech, he can sure write a hell of a letter,* Amelia thought as she read Delbert's letter to her. She folded the note and sat it next on her bedside table before curling up under the covers. She smiled to herself in the dark as she recalled the signing; "All my love for eternity." *What a sweetheart, the softie.* She stared at her white molded ceiling, reflecting on the letter's author and her relation to him. Sure, a lot of people thought she was absolutely crazy for seeing that man. He wasn't exactly any pinnacle of great handsomeness, nor was he suave or debonair. And god, the Freudian slips were positively uncountable. She wouldn't be surprised if one day someone decided to call them "Delbertian slips." Everyone she encountered would often whisper amongst themselves inquiries of just why the honorable captain decided to situate herself with a clumsy academic. *Well, if they have to question, they'll never know.* The doctor had a way of surprising her sometimes, his mostly romantic letter being one of those times. Back when they had journeyed to Treasure Planet, she found herself being awed at his actions more than once. For the most part though, he was a gentle, clumsy, stuttering fool, a man most women would tend to glance the other way at. There again, they knew nothing of his kindness or generosity, after all, he HAD funded the whole trip for Jim. No one talked about his romantic dinners or charming conversations. He never forgot a birthday and always overlooked if you were a little late. He knew just how to read her by now, a task which few could do, and knew when to encourage her, when to comfort her, and just when to back away. There was something just lovable in how he blushed when he stumbled over his words or when he shyly asked her to dance. Even after all this time, he still treated every date like the first, trying to make a good impression. He was a gentleman and always respectful, both in accordance to her work and personal life. Selfless and charming, funny and caring, and one hell of a lover. Shocking, but true. So sure, he wasn't perfect, but who was anyway? No one could understand their bond, because no one loved him like she did. *And he sure beats the alternative,* she thought, glancing at the Nefarious, which she could see out her window. Delbert may be clumsy, but hell, she was gonna keep him. She decided she would write him in the morning, and fell asleep with a smile on her face.  
  
  
************  
  
Jim stood outside the door to the royals' bunk, listening to the banter between brother and sister. It was the same way every evening, the two would fight right before bed, and the young prince, Ahai, would come out an grumble to Jim about what a pain his sister was. Jim, quite frankly, had to agree with him. Ahai was a curious young boy of 13, who, very much like Jim, loved adventure, danger, and trouble. He had taken the young prince up on a climb on the Nefarious' rigging, hoping to show him the etherium species that were roaming overhead. However, this less than pleased Captain Raymond, who ordered the boys down and threatened to slap Jim with a punishment to mop the entire deck after Ahai had gone to bed. Later, he had tried to show Ahai the basics of solar surfing using some materials he had found in the compartment next to the brig and one of the ship's spare sails. No sooner had Ahai climbed on top of the makeshift board when Raymond caught them, and gave Jim the unpleasant task he had threatened him with earlier. Jim had already decided that his captain didn't exactly deserve quality, and he do a job HE saw fit. If the princess would decide to go to bed first. Jim watched Morph fly in circles around his head as he listened to the siblings argue.  
"I didn't touch your stupid bunk," Ahai growled.  
"And you had better not!" his sister snapped, throwing what sounded to be a shoe or a small book at him.  
"Whatever you say," Ahai grumbled, heading for the door, adding as an afterthought, "You stupid wench."  
The 19 year olds incredulity was drowned out by the shut door, "WHAT did you call me?!"  
Jim blinked at Ahai. "What DID you call her?"  
"Stupid wench."  
"Stupid wench! Stupid wench!" Morph repeated.  
"Kid, you gotta quit provoking her."  
"I know. She always has something heavy to throw at me," he said, rubbing the side of his head, which was forming a good sized lump, "Wish I could throw something at her."  
Morph turned into an ice pick before their eyes.  
Ahai laughed. "I wanna hurt her, not kill her."  
The blob morphed again, this time into a sturdy stone goblet.  
"Perfect," the prince nodded, grabbing the goblet and heading for the door.  
"Whoa! Wait, wait," Jim said, grabbing the youth by the arm, "Look, I have to make sure no harm comes to you two. Do you realize how many times I'll have to swab that deck if I let you do that?"  
"A lot?"  
"A WHOLE lot. And it's huge too."  
Ahai sighed, and held his hand out, allowing Morph to change back. "But it would have been fun."  
"No doubt. Hell, there are sometimes I'd like to throw an ice pick of two at her. When she threw that water in my face today it took everything I had not to throw her overboard. But we can't."  
"Can we sell her to pirates?  
"No. They don't buy, they steal."  
"But no one would want to steal her."  
"I'm with you kid."  
Ahai sighed and sat on the floor. "I wish I was somewhere else," he said, staring at the ceiling, "I hate my rotten sister and I hate this boring royalty stuff. I wanna go on adventures. You ever been on one, Jim?"  
Jim sat down next to him, leaning up against the wall. "Yeah, I had a really good one once."  
"Really? Did you meet bad guys?"  
"Some pretty vial pirates."  
"How?"  
"Well, it's a long story."  
"Believe me," Ahai said, "I've got time. I'm not going anywhere."  
"Well...ever heard of Treasure Planet?"  
"Yeah. But it's not real."  
Jim smirked at him. "Sure it is. I've been."  
"No way."  
"Would I lie?"  
"I dunno, would you?"  
"If you don't trust me, go ask Captain Amelia," Jim said, thrusting a thumb over in the direction of the Legacy, "She was there too."  
"Hmmm," the prince said thoughtfully, "I guess you got to go because you were such a good student and stuff."  
"Actually," Jim rubbed his neck sheepishly, "I was failing in school. I just managed to fall into possession of a map, and decided that the voyage could be a retribution of most of the... er, bad things I had done."  
"How'd you change so much?" Ahai asked, disbelieving.  
"Don't get me wrong, my record of demerits reflects that I'm hardly a fully upstanding cadet, just one who's good at studying and a fast learner. But people can change, Ahai. I once knew this old pirate, who had this lifelong obsession..."  
  
******************  
  
The Nefarious was quiet at 02 00, when Jim finally finished the deck and no one was in sight. A perfect opportunity. To feet padded quietly and briskly across the deck to the bridge --no shoes, that could cause noice and attract some of the others. The footsteps led across the semi-clean deck, past the captain's quarters, past Jim's bunk which was nearby the royals, all the way to the bridge. There, a hand slipped out and switched on a communications device. The hailed ship on the other end of the communication responded.  
"You have the coordinates?" A statement, not a question.  
"Yes. Heading 21-63-213."  
"Good. The fleet?"  
"One royal caravan and three assisting escorts."  
"Armed?"  
"Heavily."  
"No problem," the reciever grinned, "We shall be there in three days."  
"Look forward to your visit."  
"Of course. Our captain will meet with you soon."  
"I wait for it."  
The communication ended, and the bare feet headed back to their bunk.  
  
To be continued...  
  
Mutiny on the Nefarious...no.  
  
Anyway, I do so appreciate all those who have stuck with me this far, especially after that horrendous chapter 3. :(  
I humbly dedicate this chapter to my very two first reviewers. There's more where that came from, I swear. Please, give some feedback; I'm trying to make this story as pleasing as possible. I'm in knots sometimes worrying about whether the audience is bored...let me know what you think!  
  
Shalom  
  
J. 


	5. Chapter 5

Ch.5  
  
Disclaimer the fifth: Me + Own = 0  
  
  
Jim could see the tiny speck that was Amelia from the bridge of the Nefarious. At the moment, she was on the upper masts, double checking the knots holding the solar sails firmly in place. "You can't be too careful, or too prepared in this part of the etherium," she had told him the night prior. As part of his duties, Amelia had asked him to double check the minor details in the Nefarious' operation that a "self-absorbed lout" like Raymond might miss. *Her words, not mine,* he grinned to himself. Her distaste for his current superior officer was more than huge, and certainly more than obvious --most of all, it was certainly amusing. His checked the instruments of the bridge, making sure all levers worked and all communications devices working properly. He did this discreetly, however, for Raymond was currently on the lower deck, strolling around with his sluggish first mate, talking, and would probably be furious if he saw his position be undermined. Also on the lower decks, Ahai was peering over the edge, looking straight down at a comet that was riding below them about 10,000 miles. His sister, the royal-pain-in-the-butt Carysa, was standing with a goblet of water, scanning the upper skies of the etherium. As Jim finished his bridge check, he headed downstairs to stand next to the royals. Only Ahai spoke upon his arrival.  
"I've never seen a comet this close up before."  
"Pretty impressive, huh?"  
"Yeah." The young boy turned to Jim. "I think I wanna be a spacer."  
"What about your whole...royal...thing?"  
"I'll use my inheritance to pay for admittance into the academy."  
Jim shrugged. "Sounds good, kid. Do what makes you happy."  
Ahai smiled and turned his gaze downward again to view the comet. "Uh, Jim..."  
"Yeah?"  
"What's that?" he said, pointing to a spot far left of the comet's tail, about 100 miles away and moving fast.  
"That's a ship," Jim squinted, "Probably a galleon or small scow."  
Suddenly, the Nefarious lurched heavily underneath them.  
"Of course, scows don't shoot at you," Jim corrected, then shouted, "Captain! We've got company!"   
Raymond rushed over to where Jim stood, pointing over the edge of the ship. Whipping out his scope, he watched the ship approach.  
"Son of a...--pirates! Mr. Kinsmet, warn the Legacy and the Queen Isle."  
A second shot flew through the air, this time headed for the Queen Isle.   
"I think the Queen Isle already knows," Jim remarked wryly. He turned to the prince and princess, who were both gazing nervously at the pirate ship ...No ships. Yes, there were most definitely ships.  
"C'mon you two!" Jim ordered, "Let's get you below deck!"  
The two royals followed, and Jim left shut them into their bunk. He made a quick stop at the weapons locker on the way to the deck; grabbing a flintlock rifle, he ran outside, where all hell was breaking loose.  
  
***************  
  
"Mr. Turgevny!" Amelia roared, "See that engineering provides more power to the aft guns!"  
"Aye, captain!"  
By now, the pirate ships were close enough that Amelia could see the men aboard, and read their dark smiles.  
*I'll wipe that smile right off your damn face,* she thought, cocking her gun and taking aim. The helmsman aboard the largest ship went down, a rifle wound to the head. The other two ships disregarded the Legacy, instead aiming for the other two galleons and the caravan. So far, the escorts had done a good job of protecting the caravan from fire, but Amelia wondered just how long they could keep it up --truth be told, their guns were better. *Stolen, no doubt, but better none the less.* She tried to push all pessimistic thought out of her head as she reloaded her weapon and took aim for the main gunner on her assailant's vessel.  
*Gotcha.*  
  
**************  
  
From the Legacy's aft gunner station, Calden worked frantically, trying to make sure ample power got to his gunner. As he was checking the reading from his latest calibration, he was knocked over by a large explosion. A shot from the pirate's laser cannons had struck the side of the ship near the gun, sending shrapnel everywhere. As he picked himself up from the floor, he heard Captain Amelia shout, "Aft gunner! Return fire!" When no return fire came, Calden was shocked. His gunner was always one to obey an order. Peering down at the gunner, he found his answer. The explosion had sent the gunner's head on a collision course with the main aiming instrument, and he was now out cold.  
"Aft gunner!" the Captain cried again, "I need fire now!"  
Calden looked from the unconscious gunner to the scowling captain. Swallowing in anxiety, he pulled the gunner away from his post, and sat in the seat. Holding the gun's positioning mechanism in his hands, he took aim. *So THIS is what the assistant does...*  
  
*************  
  
Jim had never seen so many pirates in all his life. *That's a LOT of earrings,* he thought aimlessly, shooting another alien, one who had aimed for the main mast. As he took a moment to assess the fighting on the other ships, he frowned in confusion. The Legacy and the Queen Isle were getting PUMMELED. But the Nefarious...was in one piece for the most part. What was going on here? His thoughts were interrupted as he heard a loud crack. One of the enemy ships had extended a boarding plank. Pirates began flowing onto the ship faster than the Nefarious' crew could shoot them. Jim thought immediately of the royals, sitting in their bunk. He had to hide them! Running downstairs, he burst into the small bedroom, where Ahai sat quietly on his bed.  
"Where's your sister?!" Jim exclaimed.   
"She said she was going to find something to go defend herself with if she had to," Ahai said, "Why?"  
Jim grabbed the boy's arm and dragged him down the hallway. "We're being boarded. We have to hide you."  
"Carysa...?"  
"I'll find her. Now as for you..." Jim dragged him to the galley, and shoved him into one of the storage cabinets. "Not great or comfortable, but it'll have to do. Now, stay here until I come and get you."  
"Okay," Ahai's muffled voice came. Satisfied, Jim turned and headed back to the deck. On his right, the Queen Isle was a raging inferno. On his left, the Legacy was being overrun by a ship with far bigger guns. In front of him, the crew of the Nefarious was being held a gunpoint by thirty or so pirates. Jim knelt behind a crate, watching the leader, a young but sturdy alien, pace the hostage spacers.  
'Where are the prince and princess?"  
Raymond glared fiercely at him, but said nothing.  
Obviously frustrated by the lack of cooperation he was getting, the head pirate pointed his weapon at Raymond's head.  
"Perhaps I wasn't clear. Now, tell me where the royals are."  
Jim cocked his gun, aimed...  
BANG!!  
The distraction was all the spacers needed to throw themselves at their captors and try to retake the ship, but Jim sat there a moment, stunned. He had aimed to shoot the pirates' leader in the back, but had been sot at himself. Granted, their aim was bad and they had missed and blown the crate up instead, but it wasn't the blissful fact that he had been saved due to three inches of bad aim, rather it was the identity of the one aiming at him. Standing there with a rifle pointed at Jim's face, was the crown princess of Nexus VII.  
"What the hell are you doing?" Jim glared at her, "I'm on YOUR side, you idiot!"  
"Oh?" Carysa smirked at him, "Then I believe you have the sides mistaken." She kept her gun trained on him as she backed toward the leader. Upon seeing her, he let out a loud whistle. "Retreat men!" The pirates dropped their fight, and headed for their vessel. Shots flew in both directions, as Jim stood up from behind the shards of crate, helping to deliver his share of the volley. When most of the pirates had returned to their ship, Jim heard the captain cry out, "Destroy it!" The order hadn't even stopped ringing in his ears yet when the Nefarious' port side took a heavy blow.   
"Evasive action!" Raymond cried to his helmsman.  
"Captain," Jim rushed over to Raymond, "The prince is still on board, we need to get him out."  
Raymond paused a second, looking out over the rest of the battle. The Queen Isle was destroyed, the Legacy was in bad shape, and the Caravan had been torn in two. While the ship attacking the Legacy was looking about as bad as it's foe, and while the third pirate ship had already taken off, probably due to it's near irreparable shape, the ship on their tail was still looking quite fit to fight.  
"Captain!" Jim cried, "We have to go; Captain Amelia ordered us to!"  
Raymond frowned to himself. "Mr. Kinsmet, Ms. Lor, get us out of here."  
"With pleasure," Lor mumbled.  
Engaging it's fastest engines, the Nefarious sped through the etherium.  
  
  
**************  
  
From the lead pirate ship, the alien leader contacted his remaining colleague. "Save your fire. The ship is damaged well enough and we have what we came for. I trust the royals are destroyed?"  
"My sources tell me all but the princess."  
"Excellent."  
"Sir, we're going to let the other ship go?"  
"There isn't a friendly star system for two weeks. They'll lose power by then."  
"And the Legacy?"  
"Save your weapons for another day; the Legacy will suffer the same fate as her counterpart. No sense in shooting something that's already dying. Besides, we have bigger plans to carry out."  
"Aye, sir."  
"Set a course for Urtega."  
"Aye."  
  
*************  
  
The Halfhouse was a small restaurant on the edge of the town where the Benbow once stood. Both exhausted after a hard days' work and both just needing a little company, Sarah Hawkins and Delbert Doppler sat at a small table in the back right corner by a window. Sarah stirred her soup once, and blew on the spoonful she was bringing to her lips. "Have you heard from Amelia?" she asked her counterpart, who was cutting through some meat with a knife.  
"Oh, yes. I got a letter from her just yesterday. No trouble so far, unless you count being pestered by that Raymond fellow. Let me tell you something, he'd better keep his hands to himself, or..."  
"Or?" Sarah raised an eyebrow at him.  
"Well, he better just keep his hands to himself."  
Sarah smiled to herself and took another spoonful of soup. "So, I hear you have big plans for Amelia once she gets back."  
Delbert stopped and gaped at her. "How did you...?"  
"Well, you've been carrying that ring in your coat pocket for three weeks now. That," she smiled broadly at him, "And B.E.N. told me."  
"I should have known that scrap heap would say something."  
"That's all he talked about all night long, after he delivered that letter. He wanted me to reminded you that he charges 8 dollars an hour to baby-sit."  
"Terrific," Doppler said, sighing and putting down his knife and fork. He took off his glasses and began to wipe them on his coat. "At this rate, he may never make a dime."  
"Why?"  
"Like you said, I've been walking around with this ring for three weeks," he spoke, putting his glasses back on, "I've tried twice to ask her."  
"And?"  
"Well, she's not wearing the damn ring, Sarah," he said bluntly. "Sorry," he added, "This just aggravates me. You know I spent a whole month preparing for that night? I spent five hours a day for six days just sampling every jewelry store in a 50 mile radius for the ring. Not to mention, two days combing my neighbor's --you know, that chef?-- cookbooks for a dinner recipe, a day finding matching table arrangements, and every night for 27 torturous nights trying to come up with and memorize the perfect speech. I didn't sleep for two days before the fact! And now look at me, a month of preparation, and I'm still a bachelor."  
"You couldn't have known that she'd be summoned the night you called up your courage to do it. Look on the bright side --she'll be gone four more weeks. That'll give you more than enough time to think of something absolutely mind-blowing. Sweep her off her feet good."  
"I suppose your right. Plus, knowing my knack for words, I should probably get my speech down better."  
Sarah laughed, "Ain't that the truth."  
Delbert mock glared at her, then picked up his water. "So, got a letter from Jim?"  
"Mmm, hmm. He's on board the Nefarious right now. Apparently he got a very important assignment from Amelia. Couldn't say what though. You will be happy to hear that he too hates Raymond though, and says Amelia threatens him on a daily basis."  
"That IS good to hear."  
They both laughed, but soon turned their attention to the small bar in the center as a spacer, Lieutenant Commander Kil Marks, rushed in. He flew to the bartender, and spoke in a loud voice, "Burt! Burt! Oh my god! Have you heard?"  
"About...?" the bartender fixed his eyes on the Lieutenant.  
"Johnathan Owens."  
"No."  
"He's dead."  
"WHAT?"  
"I just got the word from the spaceport. The ship he was with, the Nefarious was only able to give a brief distress call before their communications died. They were attacked about halfway to the nebula."  
"What happened to the fleet? To the royal caravan?"  
"All hands and passengers have been pronounced lost."  
  
  
To be continued...  
  
Whoo. Okay. Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed. I'm glad that the feedback is positive for the most part. Katie, I visited your site yesterday, and I LOVE it. For those who have not been, check out the reviews for this story, it's in one of her posts. You'll enjoy it, I swear. :) And Katie, your story isn't crap, I like it, thank you very much! For Dave, who is possibly my most loyal reviewer, if you can't get chapter 3 up, let me know and I'll e-mail it to you. It's important to the story, even if it does REALLY suck -_-;; I'm glad you like it so much-- AIM name CaptDuck96 or Chileia123, if you're on. And as for the rapid updates, I can't stand having a story that gathers dust for too long, so I try not to be hypocritical and let mine. School starts soon, but I'll try not to let homework stand in the way of posting...much more where this came from.  
  
Aloha. Peace, love, and Treasure Planet.  
  
J. 


	6. Chapter 6

Ch. 6  
  
Disclaimer the sixth: The vast amount of nothing that I own would astound you.  
  
Sarah's eyes were as wide as saucers as she processed the news in her head. Jim was dead. Dead. Never coming back, gone for all eternity, not to be seen again, dead, dead, dead. However straightforward this information was, she had a hard time processing it. A mother wasn't supposed to outlive her son. So he couldn't be dead. He couldn't. She swallowed against the lump in her throat. He couldn't ...but he was. Perished, a victim of a pirate attack. She hadn't even realized she was tearing up until she cast a glance at Delbert. He sat ramrod straight and still as death, with an expression on his face that looked like some type of cross between burning rage, utter anguish, and the urge to be sick. She felt her first tear fall onto her cheek, and after that, there was no stopping the flood. She let her head drop into her hands, and began to sob silently in their little corner of the small restaurant. A moment later, she felt a hand on her shoulder, and looked up to find her longtime friend peering down at her.   
"C'mon, Sarah," Doppler said, his voice hoarse with restrained emotion, "I'll take you home."   
She nodded a few times, wiped her eyes with her sleeve, and watched as he left the payment for their meals on the table. He gently escorted her to his carriage out front, where he helped her climb onto the right side. She sniffled a few times as she watched him round the cart to the other side, and take the reigns attached to the large beast of burden. He handed her a handkerchief from his breast pocket, and she cried into it, her sobs muffled only by the cloth and the sound of the wheels on the ground. The trip back to her small rented place was long and silent, save for Sarah's cries. Delbert kept his head trained forward, paying more attention to the task of driving than Sarah had ever seen anyone do. By the time they reached her temporary home, she had cried herself into a sort of exhaustion. Delbert offered to see her in, and she gratefully excepted. Opening the door, she headed straight for a large red upholstered chair: a favorite of Jim's. She plopped on it none too gracefully, too tired to move, or even to cry anymore.  
"Thank you," she muttered to Delbert, her eyes fluttering, denoting that she was trying desperately to fight off sleep.  
"Sure," was all he said, as he covered her with a blanket he had retrieved off her bed. "For what it's worth," he added quietly, "I'm sure Jim gave those pirates hell before..."  
She grinned half in agreement, half in exhaustion, "Probably. That's my boy." She sighed wearily, shuddering slightly from her previous cry, and curled up in her chair. "He loved this chair, you know," she mumbled.  
"Yes," Delbert said, heading for the door, "I know."  
He stayed only long enough to watch her fall to sleep, then he left, shutting the door quietly behind him. He leaned heavily against it, replaying the words of Lieutenant Commander Marks over and over in his head: "All hands and passengers have been pronounced lost." His thoughts drifted to Amelia and he choked down a sob. No. Not here. He wouldn't break down here. Sarah needed support through this, and he couldn't very well be blubbering like a baby just outside her door. He forced himself to think of something, anything, different. "An object at rest will stay at rest unless acted upon an outside force," he mumbled to himself, concentrating on physics. Force. No doubt the pirates took Ameila's ship by... No. He climbed back into his carriage. He wouldn't think about this, not now. "Nuclear fusion occurs in the centers of stars..." Stars. Supernovas. Black holes. The Legacy. Amelia. He squeezed his eyes shut against threatening tears. Amelia...his lovely captain. He would never see her standing on board her beloved vessel, proud and authoritative. She would never again converse with him until the wee hours of the morning, teasing him, and providing him with the best company he had ever had. He would wake up alone every day for the rest of his life, no lithe red-head sleeping peacefully beside him. Suddenly, it was all to much for him, and he sat in the street in his carriage, face in his hands, weeping for his lost love.  
  
  
****************************************  
  
Jim hadn't slept for four days. To be perfectly fair, neither had most of the crew. They were all hard at work, feverishly striving to keep their quickly ailing vessel moving toward friendlier space. Jim was currently lending a hand to the technician working on the communications array. Raymond had ordered they get the device up and running long enough to send a call for help, and they weren't to sleep until they had it done. Strangely enough, Jim wasn't so much tired. No, he was tired two days ago. By day three he was thoroughly exhausted, but now that 98 hours had passed with no sleep, he had reached a level of weariness that prevented him from doing little to no thinking about more than one thing at a time. Being that he was currently occupied with the communications array, his mind couldn't fathom the concept of being just deeply worn out. He fused two wires together for his counterpart, who was now firmly rubbing his eyes in an effort to rid them of sleepiness.  
"I think I'd give my right arm for a good night sleep," he said, yawning at Jim.  
"You said it. I'd give anything to be home right now, snoozing in my chair," he smiled, thinking of his large, over-worn piece of furniture.  
"Oh yeah. I have this recliner--ahh, you never felt anything like it," the tech said, picking himself up off the ground. "Well, that might just do it," he nodded, surveying his work, "Let's switch her on."  
Jim flipped the "on" switch, and the screen hummed to life. Both he and the tech let out a whoop, out of joy both for the fulfilled need of communication, and the prospect of finally, FINALLY getting to rest.  
"Captain!" the tech called the Raymond, who was helping a large four armed alien repair the rear guns, "We've got it!"  
Raymond's face noticeably brightened. "Good work!" he said, bounding up to the bridge, "Now, we'll just encode a message and send it to Cresentia." He pressed the recording button to leave his message.  
"This is Raymond of the RLS Nefarious. We are..."  
Suddenly, spark began to fly, and the screen flickered out.  
Raymond turned to the tech with a look of annoyance.  
"Or not..." he said sheepishly, "I'll get back to work."  
Jim groaned. *I was THIS close...*  
  
**************************************  
  
She was alive, that much could be said for her. *I must be, because there's no way being dead hurts so much.* Amelia opened her eyes slowly and wasn't at all shocked to find herself in a dark cell. She sat up carefully, holding the side of her head. *Damn pirates. When I get my claws on them...* She felt a small amount of blood oozing from the wound, but for the most part, there was nothing but a large lump. The events leading up to the wound soon caught up with her. She had been aboard the Legacy, fending off the onslaught of pirates, when a small hoard in a longboat had boarded just off the rear deck. From there, she combated one on one with about four pirates, and for her credit, had done admirably. She remembered however, being knocked in the head from behind, likely with the butt of a gun. *But why would they keep me prisoner? They can't seem to think that I would be any sort of valuable hostage; they'd be aiming for the royals in that case.* Her thoughts flew briefly to that of Jim and the assignment she had given him --she was desperately hoping he was able to defend the prince and princess. She looked around her surroundings slowly, taking in the dull cavernous walls, and dim lighting, and the heavy wooden door, which was presently shut tight. *Hmmm, no way out but the door. Damn.* She noticed that despite the dark interior, the cell was extremely hot, and she was sweating. Stripping off her coat, she ripped off a piece of cloth from the tail of it, and used it to tightly bandage her head wound. *That should keep the swelling down...but enough of that. Where am I, and, more importantly, how do I get out of wherever I am?* She hadn't had but a moment to think on it, when the door was thrust open and the room was suddenly engulfed in light. She squinted as her eyes adjusted to the sudden change, and set her gaze on her captors. A tall, young alien, most likely the leader, stood before her, his arms crossed. Beside him was a short stocky fellow, weilding a large, complex, and very loaded gun. To his immediate left, however, was a sight that made her do a double take.  
"Your highness...?" she breathed, gaping at Carysa.  
The leader paid no attention to Amelia's astonishment, but rather turned sharply to the princess. "This is the one?"  
"Yes. She knows where we can find it. It'll solve all the monetary problems anyway."  
The leader smiled evily at Amelia, and began turning a slow circle around the spot in which she sat. "Captain Amelia of the RLS Legacy. You have no idea just how...thrilled I am to meet you."  
"Well the feeling's not mutual I'm afraid."  
"Temper, temper, captain," the leader shook his head, as if scolding a child, "No reason to be so uppity."  
"I'm being held prisoner. I think that's reason enough. Now, where am I?"  
"My dear captain," the leader sneered, "I am asking the questions here." He backhanded her forcefully, sending her back to the ground. "Are we understood?"  
"And what," Amelia spat, pulling herself back up to a sitting position, "Do you possibly think I'll answer for you?"  
"Captain, let make this crystal clear for you. A new order will be coming to this side of the galaxy. I will be the head of that order. You either cooperate with me, or die. See how easy that is?"  
Amelia glared at him in response.  
"Now captain, despite help from my lovely princess over here, funding a takeover of so many wealthy star systems can be a daunting task. That's where you come in."  
"Oh?" she cocked an eyebrow at him.  
"Yes, you see, my young lover here," he said, gesturing to Carysa, "Has informed me that she overheard a friend of yours talking about a voyage you and he once took to locate Treasure Planet. You were successful in finding that planet, correct?"  
Amelia stared coldly at him. Aggravated, the leader grabbed the gun from the armed alien and thrust it against Amelia's temple. "Correct, captain?"  
"Yes."  
"Now, tell me, where is this planet?"  
When she didn't answer right away, he pressed the cold steel barrel of the gun harder against the side of her head. "Where is it captain?" he demanded.  
"I don't know."  
He swiftly kicked her in the side and kept the gun trained on her. 'I'm losing my patience with you captain. Now, one more time, where is Treasure Planet?"  
"It's been destroyed," Amelia mumbled.  
"Destroyed?"  
"Yes, destroyed. It no longer exists."  
"The treasure?"  
"Taken along with it."  
The leader lowered his weapon and handed it back to the stout one. He rand a hand through his brown hair, then broke out into a maniacal grin.  
"I think you're lying."  
"Think what you want to, it no longer exists."  
He lurched out an grabbed Amelia by the throat. "Oh, but I think it does. And I think you're lying. And I don't much like liars." He threw her to the ground, then marched out of the cell, motioning the guard and the princess to follow. Amelia heard the large door shut behind them and lock. She sank against the wall of the cell, and closed her eyes, trying to think of how she could get her way out of this one.  
Outside the cell, Carysa fumed. "She's obviously not going to cooperate. I say we kill her and be done with it."  
The leader shook his head slowly and exhaled loudly. "No, she will cooperate. Give me time. I'll MAKE her cooperate."  
  
*****************************  
  
  
Raymond paced his bridge for what Jim considered to be the billionth time. Needless to say, the sound of the captain's large, thunking footsteps were driving him nuts. "I do hope Amelia's alright," Raymond muttered to no one in particular, "I'm sure she got the Legacy out all right. Such spirit and charisma, that one. And a gorgeous set of legs, don't you think Josan?" he asked the communications technician, as he paced for the billionth and first time.   
"I can't say I recall," Josan spoke, his voice echoing from inside the communications array.  
"Ah, but she is a beauty. And a fiery one at that. I'm sure she sent those brutish pirates running."  
"I'm sure, sir," Josan called, "She's a good officer."  
"Remarkable in fact. Reminds me quite a bit of myself. I really do wonder why she doesn't think we'd do well together."  
*Well let's see,* Jim thought, discreetly rolling his eyes, *You're overly cocky, self-admiring, a class-A jerk, and your choice in cologne leaves something to be desired. Pets too. But, hell, what do I know?*  
"I don't know, sir," Josan shrugged from underneath a panel.  
"You know, she IS in a relationship," Jim interjected, then hastily added, "Sir."  
"Yes," he growled, baring white fangs, "That doctor."  
Jim frowned at him. "'That doctor'?"  
"Yes, that DOPPLER character. Now honestly, there isn't a woman alive who'd prefer him over me. No contest. I tell you, I don't understand it. Amelia's so...she has..."  
*Better taste than every other woman alive, apparently,* Jim mused.  
"There," Josan said, interrupting the over tired captain's rant, "Try it now."  
Raymond flicked on the device, and once again it sprang to life. Turning on the record, he managed to get out his distress call: "This is Raymond of the RLS Nefarious. We are currently traveling at 20% speed in a dangerous area of space. We need immediate assistance. You will find us at coordinates 67-84-009..."  
  
*****************************  
  
"....67-84-009 in the Trandoshan system. We currently have a surviving member of the royal family with us and must see him to safety. I repeat, we need immediate assistance. Raymond out."  
Admiral Plovk glanced over at Captain Eigram, waiting for his reaction. The younger gentleman finally spoke, "Trandoshan, hmm? That's pretty hostile territory."  
"I understand you might be unwilling to travel into such difficult areas. Especially after just returning from battle with the I.O.A.."  
"Unwilling? No. I just fear we'll never make it in time. The system's a good ways away."  
"How long do you think it would take?"  
"Depends," Eigram shrugged, leaning against the Admiral's desk, "I'll need a new navigator, since mine's on leave right now, and probably someone well versed in spacial fluctuations. I hear it's a bad area for solar flares from binary systems, as well as meteor showers."  
"How long do you think it will take you to depart?"  
"Give me 24 hours."  
"Done. Good luck, Eigram."  
  
****************************  
  
Sarah had been at the Benbow's re-building site all day, observing the changes that the developer had made to the plans for the roof and second floor. She had thrown herself wholly into her work, for it occupied a great deal of time, and gave her little time to dwell on the untimely death of her only son. She was going over designs and sketches with the chief architect when a carriage came up to the building site. A young naval officer stepped out, had a look around, and walked slowly over to Sarah and the four-legged architect.   
"Excuse me," he said, "My name is Eigram, and I'm afraid I'm horribly lost. Do either of you know where I might find this address?" He handed Sarah a slip of paper.  
"Yes. He's actually a friend of mine. What did you need to see him for?"  
"I'm on a bit of business, and I require his assistance. I've been charged to retrieve the Nefarious."  
"They want you to go all the way out there for wreckage? What does Delbert have to do with any of that?"  
"Wreckage? I'm sorry ma'am, I don't understand."  
"I was told a week ago that the Nefarious was destroyed."  
"We received a message from them early this morning. The Nefarious is in one piece, but badly damaged. I'm enlisting Dr. Doppler's help in order to help plan a safe, quick trip through space to retrieve them."  
Sarah could barely believe her ears. The Nefarious was still in one piece? That meant Jim...  
A broad grin crossed her face as she blinked back tears of joy.  
Maybe she would see Jim lazing about in that chair again.  
  
To be continued...  
  
Yea! Mostly everyone's alive. Ok, allow me one sentimental moment:  
  
The following is a sentimental moment--  
Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone for all your reviews. You guys totally make this worthwhile and your reviews make my day! I've tried really hard to crank out chapters asap, and I've stayed up past 4 am the last three nights in a row...::tired:: Everytime I read one of your reviews though, I just feel like I have to write more. I hope I'm living up to your expectations.  
Katie--I was reading your update on your story 'The Academy Days' and I was so touched by the note at the bottom. Apparently, your work is far better than you claim it to be; you have a lot of fans, and a lot of pull with them. I got 10 reviews overnight after you posted... :) Keep writing--I enjoy your work immensely. And to everyone who says your chapters are "too short," ever heard of "short and sweet?" It's tough to write really long chapters, so stick to whatever length will keep your work at the caliber we know and love.   
Oh, and yes, I agree that cliffhangers are evil...  
  
But I'm evil ;P  
  
Aloha.  
  
J. 


	7. Chapter 7

Ch. 7  
  
Disclaimer the seventh: It's one for all and all from Disney.  
  
He hadn't even noticed that he hadn't left his house in a week until he wrote down the date in his data book. Still, it had been a perfectly miserable week for him, and the public of Montressor was probably better off not seeing him, at least until his mourning was through. Delbert had returned to his empty house after having a long and heavy cry in his carriage that was parked outside Sarah's home. From there he had silently climbed into bed, not bothering to change into any pajamas, and slept away the rest of the evening, as well as half of the following morning. When he awoke, he still felt horribly drained, even after 14 hours of deep sleep. He hadn't eaten for the first two days, rather he just sat in his den, before a lit fireplace, thinking. Thinking about his life, her life, and all his missed opportunities. After mulling over her death for quite some time, he decided to stop wallowing in his own self-pity and get his mind off the situation for a moment. He turned to his oldest love, astronomy --he positively threw himself into his work, charting anomalies, viewing planetary movements, counting off the flares from a distant pulsar. At the current moment he was in his observatory, recording his telescopic observations for the previous night. He glanced at the clock on his wall, and noted that he had been working for four solid hours. He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. *You should take a break, Delbert,* he told himself. Standing up from his seat beside his large telescope, he sat down at his desk, where he had some tea and a muffin sitting next to a large stack of maps. He poured himself a cup of tea and leaned all the way back in his chair, exhaling deeply. His eyes began to wander about the room, scanning over the vast piles of books, the broken telescope lenses, and portraits hanging on the long brick red walls. *I really need to clean up in here,* he thought, *Amelia was right, it IS a mess.* He looked down at his desk, which was by far the messiest entity in the room. Two drawers were wide open, brimming with equipment, and there was parchment everywhere, with notes, facts, and sketches strewn all over them in black ink. The desktop was covered in small piles of information, a napkin for his muffin, a photograph of his late mother, a hairbrush (*How did that get there?*), and various other knickknacks. What stopped his wandering eyes was small, but very significant. In the right hand corner of his desk, leaning up against a lamp, was a small, round mint. Normally, he would have just disregarded such a small and unobtrusive object, but this was different. This was THE mint. He picked it up and twirled it around with his fingers, admiring the swirls of minty red and white. He had come into possession of said candy almost two years ago, and remembered the night well. He hadn't really told anyone about this mint, but the meaning behind it was so great, he doubted anyone could understand it anyway. As he continued to stare at the candy, his thoughts drifted to the night he aquired the mint.  
  
  
He was so nervous, he was almost nauseous. He had been 10 minutes early to the restaurant, and had sat at his reserved table and ordered a bottle of wine. She would be here shortly, and he wanted to make that good first impression. Okay, so they had met before, but never like this. After the Legacy's return to Cresentia, Doppler had asked somewhat shyly and very much clumsily to take the ship's beautiful captain out an evening. He truly felt they had really hit it off on their journey, at least after the first shaky week or so, and now he simply couldn't stop thinking about her! The feline had smiled at him and accepted his proposal, and they were to have their date on the first Friday after Amelia had been discharged from medical care. So here he was, sitting on one end of a small table, dressed in fine formal garb, browsing the menu and listening to the harpist in the background. He threw a glance at the flowers he had brought for her. Three red roses wrapped in a coat of small white flowers and deep green leaves. Suddenly, he panicked. *Three? Is that enough? What if she doesn't think that's romantic enough? I'm trying to get across the whole "let's be more than friends" thing...I should have bought more! But what if she doesn't like flowers at all? I mean, she is all tough and proud...maybe she thinks flowers are sissy cover-ups for men who have no redeeming qualities to offer their date...What if she hates roses? WHAT IF SHE HATES RED?!* The "what if's" left his head, along with all other coherent thought as he saw his date standing there before him, a concerned look on her face.  
"Doctor, are you alright?"  
*Delbert, if you die tonight, it won't matter--you're going down happy. You have seen the face of beauty and DAMN is it good.*   
Amelia was decked out in dark green, a simple dress, light, but form fitting, with an accompanying set of gold Causiun pearls. Her lips were a dark burgundy, and they were turned into a small frown.  
"Doctor?"  
He hadn't even realized he was staring for a moment, but when he caught himself, he stood up, embarrassed.  
"Yes...sorry. Here, have a seat..." he said, pulling out a chair for her. She took the seat and watched him as he sat down again, directly across from her.  
"Are those mine?" she asked, pointing to the roses lying flat up on the table.  
"Err...yes, yes they are..." he mentally smacked himself. *Can we stutter a bit more, Doppler?* He handed them to her.  
"They're lovely," she said, admiring the blossoms. She put them down beside her and turned to him. "I hope you have't been waiting too long."  
*Only all my life.* "No."  
"Good. I must say, it is a pleasure to see you again Delbert; I really need a night out after that stint with all those meddling physicians. Sitting in a cold room with no shirt while some doctor prods my bad ribs is not exactly my idea of a good time."  
*I KNEW I should have gone to medical school.* "Oh no, of course not."  
"And I must say, I am deeply flattered that you asked to see me," she added quietly.  
He blushed. "I'm deeply flattered you agreed to come."  
She smiled brightly at him as a waiter came by, took their orders, and returned promptly with some soup and bread. Delbert poured his date a glass of wine, and they chatted over the appetizer.   
"Jim will do splendidly at the academy, I'm sure," Amelia addresses his inquiries about Jim's newly given acceptance.  
"No doubt. He proved himself quite admirably on our voyage." He took a drink from his wine glass and watched as she frowned at her soup bowl.  
"Hmm. I could really use some more bread for this. It really is delicious together with the broth. Now where did that waiter go?" She scanned the room for the white-clad waiter.  
"I'm almost finished with my bowl anyway," Delbert said, "You can always share my bed...bread."  
*Tape your mouth shut NOW and you might come out from this evening only half embarrassed.*  
She chuckled lightly, and regarded him with a sly look. "Now doctor, let's not be fresh. It's only the first date." She swallowed a spoonful of soup, then winked at him. "Ask me again on another evening out."  
*Wha...?* He could feel himself turning red.  
She laughed aloud at his shocked expression. "Delbert, you really are a riot."  
The dinner continued in much the same fashion, with him thoroughly muddling his speech and her teasing gently about it. At the end of the meal, he picked up a rather staggering check, and tipped the waiter. As the two of them exited the building, Amelia spoke.  
"I had a wonderful time."  
"I also. You're wonderful company."  
"Oh, now you're just trying to get me into bed with you," she joked.  
He sheepishly rubbed his neck. "I'm sorry if..."  
"I'm kidding."  
"Right."  
They walked a ways away from the restaurant, out to a small, nearby park.  
"I was...wondering if maybe you'd, uh...want to dothisagainsometime," he mumbled as they strolled.  
"Pardon?"  
"Go out with me again."  
She raised one eyebrow at his straightforwardness.  
"Please," he added. *You do know you're ordering a captain around, right fool?*  
She smiled at him. "Alright. But please, nothing so formal. I simply hate dressing up so much like this."  
"Really? I think you look--achoo!"  
"Bless you." She rummaged around in her small purse and produced a small pile of folded tissues.  
"Thank you," he said, taking a tissue from the top of the pile and blowing his nose. "As I was saying, I think you look fantastic."  
"You big filmflammer. I already told you --you will not be seeing any action tonight, sir."  
"Worth a shot."  
"Ah, you are a sly one."  
She turned her gaze to the stars then, looking out on the clear moonlit night. Delbert took the tissues in his hand and proceeded to place them in his pocket, but felt a hard object tucked in the center of one of the folds. Lying there was a small round mint. Shrugging, he stuffed both the tissues and mint into his pocket and followed her gaze with his own eyes.  
"I'm really glad I took that job to Treasure Planet," she said, turning back to him.  
"So am I. And I'm glad you're here with me now."  
She smiled at him shyly, and leaned toward him, her eyes closing.  
*Oh heavens! She's going to kiss me! Wait...I had onions with that blasted steak chop...where's that infernal mint?*   
Even as he leaned in closer to her, his hands rummaged through his pockets, searching desperately for the mint. Finding it, he popped it in his mouth quickly, before cupping her face with his hand and drawing her in. He enjoyed the full-mouthed kiss for all ten seconds it lasted, and lamented the loss of her touch when they parted.  
"Hmm. I think I'll have what you had next time, doctor," she grinned at him, "It has a nice flavor to it. Spicy, but not overly so." She kissed his cheek and began to head for her carriage.  
Delbert stood in the park alone, swishing the mint in his mouth a few times. In all the commotion with the kiss, he hadn't even noticed the mint's taste. Now that he reflected on it, there WAS no mint taste. *What kind of a mint is this?* He spat it out into his palm and observed it.  
Currency. Five Montressor dollars. The exact shape and size of that elusive mint.  
  
That evening marked the very first night of him and Amelia's relationship, and this mint helped him to remember all of it, from how she was dressed, to how her lips felt on his for the first time, to how metallic and cold the coin piece had tasted in his mouth. He felt a hole in his heart as he thought about that date and every one after. The thought of never sharing that with her again was like having cold water dumped on him. He frowned at the mint, longed for better times...and shot his head up quickly when he heard the door open. He nearly jumped a foot when he saw someone standing in his observatory doorway.  
"B.E.N.!" Delbert gasped.  
The navigational droid approached the doctor's desk, watching him tentatively as the astronomer caught his breath.  
"Don't DO that to me!" Delbert said, grasping his chest, "God..."  
"Sorry, doc. I'm here on business."  
"Business?"  
"Yeah. Sarah's really worried about you. She sent me here to check in on you right before she left for the building site. Personally, I think she has reason to worry. You're being a recluse."  
"I'm going through a bit of a tough time right now," Delbert grimaced.  
"Understandable. But do you know what happens to recluses? Hermits like yourself go MAD. They stay in their dark hideouts for a long time and---WHAMMO!! They come back into society and kill people and sacrifice small animals."  
"I'm not going to kill anybody."  
"Pfhhh! A potential killer WOULD say that, now wouldn't he?"  
"B.E.N., please...not right now."  
"Fine, fine. But when you lose you marbles and go nutso on the whole of this city, I'm not going to lie to the authorities. Your butt, sir, is as good as toast if I have to testify in a court of law."  
"I already told you, I--"  
"OBJECTION!" B.E.N. shouted. "Not bad, huh? I saw it on one of those court dramas."  
Delbert rolled his eyes and placed the mint back on the desk. He was about to show B.E.N. the door when a new person showed up at the threshold to his observatory.  
"I was going to knock, but the door was open."  
Delbert threw a glare at B.E.N., who whistled and averted his gaze.  
"Dr. Delbert Doppler, I presume? I'm Captain Eigram."  
Doppler extended his hand to the gentleman, who was feline like Amelia was.  
"What brings you here, captain?" Delbert asked politely.  
"I have a huge favor to ask of you. I've read quite a few of your publications and know you to be an expert on the physical going on's in the universe."  
"Thank you. But what do you want of me?"  
"Doctor, it is imperative that I get my ship to Trandoshan space as soon as possible. I've been sent to recover the crew of the Nefarious."  
Delbert blinked twice in shock. "The Nefarious did you say? But..."  
"You heard they were lost. Yes, your friend Mrs. Hawkins was under the same impression. However, we received a distress call early this morning from the Nefarious. It is in poor condition, and badly requires our assistance."  
Delbert stood, looking at the captain in shock. The Nefarious was still afloat? He couldn't believe it. A far corner of his mind wanted to believe that Amelia was safe with them, but he wouldn't let himself get his hopes up. Either way he looked at it, the Nefarious still needed his help, which meant that Jim did also.  
"When do we leave?"  
The Captain smiled widely at Doppler and said, "As soon as I find a proper navigator. I just need to sanction one through the spaceport authority."  
"Captain," B.E.N. spoke up, "I can solve your problem. Say 'aloha' to your new navigator!"  
  
***************************  
  
The Legacy was stranded in space. As hard as the engineers tried, without the proper replacement parts, the ship would be doomed to sit there in it's little corner of the etherium forever. The crew was disenchanted, that much was for sure, and the lack of spirit meant a lack of appreciation for the cook's cooking. And that made the chef ANGRY.  
"Don't pick at it! Eat it!" he bellowed at the blonde cadet, who was aimlessly stirring her meal into a thin pulp.  
She dropped her spoon and pushed her plate to the side. The Galaxian beside her sighed, also not hungry, also worrying about how they were going to get out of their current predicament. With their ship stranded and their Captain captured, it was all a matter of time before...  
"We're gonna die here!" Calden exclaimed, "We're gonna just die from starvation. And one day, some ship's gonna come along and say, 'Hey, what's that?' and do you know what they'll find? Do ya? They'll find nothing but our rotting skeletons because we'll all be DEAD!"  
The Canian smacked him upside the head. "Shut up," she hissed, "It's bad enough without you opening your trap."  
The blonde cadet sighed and let her head droop, her chin touching her chest. As...indelicately as Calden put it, he was right. Unless they got help soon, they'd all be dead in a matter of time.  
They needed a miracle.  
And they needed it fast.  
  
  
To be continued...  
  
This was for all you A/D fans out there. I'm a fan myself of their relationship, and I was feeling kinda sappy today, so I figured I'd add a little flashback for your (hopefully) enjoyment. For those who like the story for other elements, you'll get some next chapter, I promise. Again, I love you all. Thank you for all the feedback, and please don't get bored w/ me!! -_-'  
Thank you thank you thank you....  
  
Aloha,  
  
J. 


	8. Chapter 8

Ch. 8 (Now in easier-to-read format....) :)  
  
Disclaimer the eighth: J. owns nothing, as much as she might wish she did (esp. Jim in that uniform--whoo hoo!).  
  
  
Eigram's temples were throbbing, pulsing with pain. Never in all his years as a spacer had he ever met a navigator, or a crew member, hell, ANYTHING that could talk as much or as long as B.E.N. could. The robot had informed the crew in one of his MANY previous stories that he was well over a hundred years old...and right now, it seemed as if he was retelling every second of it.  
  
"So suddenly, Lupe grabs me and we start to Lambada. It's a really fun dance, swinging your hips to the beat..."  
  
Eigram shook his head, inwardly kicking himself for agreeing to take on a navigator droid. *Never again...*  
  
His helmsman leaned in close and whispered, "One wire, sir. I could end our suffering with one little snip."  
  
As tempting as the thought was, the robot was his only navigator, and not a bad one at that. If it weren't for his infernal talking, he might even say B.E.N. was one of the better navigators he had worked with. His head still ached from the never-ending stories nonetheless, so he decided to take a break from the bridge.  
  
"Call if you need me," he spoke softly to his helmsman.  
"You're a heartless creep leaving me here alone with him," the helmsman mock glared, refering to B.E.N., who was currently reveling in memories of a street parade he once saw.  
  
"That's CAPTAIN heartless creep to you. Goodnight crewman."  
  
Eigram climbed down the stairs from his bridge to the lower deck, watching the helmsman beat his head against the steering wheel as B.E.N. continued.  
  
"There were all these ladies...crazy. I mean crazy! You should see the things they'd do for beads off the parade floats! Whoa! We're talkin' hubba, hubba."  
  
Thankfully for him, the droid's voice grew harder to hear as he crossed the main deck to the other side of the ship. There, Dr. Delbert Doppler was standing, viewing the sky with his telescope.  
  
"Anything interesting, doctor?" Eigram approached him.  
  
"No. I think that cosmic storm we were looking after has changed course. As long as we stay on the heading we're currently on, we should be able to avoid it."  
  
"Good, I was getting worried we might have to go around it. It would have delayed our reaching the Nefarious by six days."  
  
Doppler said nothing, just placed his telescope on the deck beside him and leaned against the railing of the ship. Eigram stood and watched him for a second; the doctor was quiet and melancholy as he stared out into the depths of the etherium.  
  
"You're thinking about Amelia?" the captain said softly, more a statement than a question.  
  
Delbert turned to Eigram and looked at him confusedly. "How do you know about Amelia?"  
  
Eigram smiled. "Everyone knows Amelia. We were in the same graduating class. Even dated her for awhile in our second year. She was quite the student--and a brilliant officer."  
  
Doppler gave him a look.   
  
Eigram laughed. "We called it 'just friends' a long time ago. We weren't right for each other anyhow. Now you--she loved you."  
  
"How did you know about her and me?"  
  
"Well, I see a lot of Raymond. We're in the same unit. He docks two stations down from mine on Crescentia. He was crazy over Amelia in the academy days, and ever since his breakup with his fiancee, he's had his eye back on Amelia. He mentions you and her on a daily basis it seems. I believe he called you a 'pathetic canine bastard' once. No...a 'badly dressed pathetic canine bastard.' Yes, that was it."  
  
Delbert groaned.  
  
"I talked to her a few times before she...left. She had nothing but good things to say about you, aside from the fact that she claims you're not very speech-inclined. I've never seen her talk so highly of anyone before. Not even Arrow."  
  
"She talked highly of me?"   
  
"Well, for Amelia anyway. You know how she is. It's hard to get past that outer shell. She's very good at hiding her true feelings about things. But she did love you--I could tell." Eigram stood next to him, leaning his elbows on the ship's edge. "You miss her, I take it."  
  
"Badly. It's like...it's like I'm missing a part of myself. My more articulate half."  
  
Eigram chuckled. "Ahh, she always was good with words. Sharp tongue that one--never wanted to be on the receiving end of one of her comebacks."  
  
"You said it. Completely got the best of me when we first met. Teased me about my...choice in attire."  
  
"Did she call you an 'arrogant bastard' or any other expletive?"  
  
"Just an imbecile."  
  
"Ahh, she liked you from the beginning then."  
  
The two men laughed, and Delbert stood up straight. "Pardon me captain, but I think I'll turn in for the night."  
  
"Of course. Goodnight doctor."  
  
"Thank you captain," the astronomer responded, turning towards the bunks.  
  
"And doctor?"  
  
Delbert turned around to face the officer, who was still viewing the stars. "For what it's worth, you should have heard what she called Raymond when she heard about the 'pathetic bastard' comment. It would have made a pirate blush."  
  
Delbert laughed. "That's my Amelia." He headed back toward his bunk again. *And God, I'm gonna miss her.*  
  
**********************************  
  
She couldn't decide if she had been held for days or weeks. All she knew was that every so often, the leader would come into her cell and order that she reveal the location of Treasure Planet. And every time she'd tell him the same thing. And EVERY time he would accuse her of lying, threaten to kill her, beat her thoroughly, and leave her in the dark room to sit and wait for the next interrogation. *A couple more times I piss him off, and he might just pull the trigger.* What exactly kept him from killing her was unknown to her, but she suspected that the greedy pirate within him told him that if he just held out long enough, he could make her crack. *Well, he obviously doesn't know Captain Amelia very well, now does he?* She stood wearily and began to pace her small cell. It was only about 10 feet wide and 9 feet deep, so her field in which to walk was small. Still, it helped to clear her mind and keep her legs from cramping too much. She began to rack her brain, trying to think of a way out. No one knew exactly where she was, so she couldn't very well find anyone to help her. *Well Amelia, you're on your own. Now--how are you going to get yourself out of this one?* She racked her brain and began to formulate a plan. It wasn't too great, and it was highly risky, but she figured since she would likely die anyway, she might as well go down fighting. All she had to do was wait until dawn, and then she would make a run for it.  
  
Or die trying.  
  
********************************  
  
When they first saw the Nefarious, the engineering crew on board Eigram's vessel the Nautilus knew one thing right off the back: this was going to be no easy task. Even from the outside the ship looked visibly damaged--they could only IMAGINE how bad it was on the inside. Eigram gave the ship a once over with his eyes and let out a low whistle. "How this thing is still moving is beyond me."  
  
They approached the ship slowly, making sure the flag of the empire was highly visible, since communications on board the injured ship were obviously down again. When the crew of the Nefarious saw the friendly ship approaching, they immediately drifted toward it, thankful for the help they so desperately needed. Extending a boarding ramp to the port side of the Nefarious, Eigram climbed aboard, trailed by his first officer, a young woman named Thi, and Delbert.   
  
"I must say Raymond," Eigram greeted upon seeing the haggard-looking captain, "Your ship is in horrible shape. You're supposed to AVOID those asteroids."  
  
"Shove it Eigram," Raymond growled, "I doubt you'd have made it out of that ambush."  
  
"Tsk, tsk, is that any way to treat your rescuer?" Eigram smirked. "You know Thi," he said, indicating his first mate, "She'll help oversee my crew as they help repair your ship."  
  
"Thank you. I want you to start immediately if possible."  
  
"Of course," Thi nodded.  
  
"I do have to hand it to you," Raymond said to his fellow officer, "You did make splendid timing."  
  
"Ahh, I owe all that to the skills of Delbert here," Eigram gestured behind him, "I believe you know Dr. Doppler."  
  
Raymond's eyes narrowed. "Yes. I've...heard about him."  
  
"Wonderful astronomer, really," Eigram continued, "Helped me avoid a rather wicked storm on the way here."  
  
"Oh, that's just peachy, Eigram. I'm so glad the 'good doctor' here was able to help you out," Raymond grumbled, sneering at Delbert. Delbert, in no mood for this guy's attitude, glared back.  
  
"Oh come off it, Raymond," Eigram sighed, "Amelia thought you were positively awful anyway, whether she was seeing Delbert or not."  
  
"So you say." Raymond held a sharp gaze on Delbert for a moment, as if sizing him up, then turned his back on the Canian. "My engines require quite a few parts, Eigram. I hope you have spares."  
  
"Plenty. Also, send some of your crew over to my ship if they'd like to get provisions and a good meal. We just had some marvelous pot roast."  
  
"I shall."  
  
"Delbert here has offered to help recalibrate your navigation system and reprogram some charts and maps," Eigram added, "Shall I send him to the bridge?"  
  
"The navigational console isn't even functioning right now. Not that I think he could do me any good anyway."  
  
"Honestly, Raymond...no need to be jealous because he was having lovely midnight romps with a woman who wouldn't so much as regard you," Eigram grinned innocently, "Besides, the fighting is pointless. I was told the Legacy was destroyed."  
  
Raymond crossed his massive arms. "I never actually saw the Legacy perish. She might still be alive."  
  
"How probable do you find that? You just said I likely wouldn't have survived the ambush."  
  
"Not very, but she IS very capable. You never know. She's almost as good as I am."  
  
"Better," Delbert mumbled casually.  
  
Raymond's face contorted in anger, as his face turned red. "If you had credibility, you could comment, DOCTOR. However, you don't look like a spacer to me. You'd best keep your misinformed opinions to yourself."  
  
"Enough gentlemen," Eigram stood between the two men, "Now, let's get this damn tub moving again and get the hell out of this space before some Trandoshan 'friends' of ours come along and make us all dead."   
  
The two men who had so desperately vied for Amelia's hand gave one last acid glare at one another before leaving to help repair the Nefarious.  
  
******************************  
  
She knew the routine by now. At midnight, an alien pirate, no bigger than she, would come and pass out the slop-they-called-food to the captured. He was always armed, but she couldn't work around that. After all, her species was know to have excellent reflexes. She would have to pounce on him and overtake him when he came to serve her dinner...and then make a mad dash out of the place as fast as she could. *Ok, so it's not one of my best plans, but it beats the alternative.* She took her position in the dark recesses behind the door. She inhaled deeply and let the breath out. If she could almost single-handedly save seven whole ships in battle, she could certainly escape from this makeshift prison. She heard the door being unlocked, and crouched down. The door opened halfway, and the alien stepped in, placing a full bowl of rather unappetizing porridge on the floor. He took up the empty bowl that was lying next to it, and proceeded to leave the room. Amelia lunged at him, throwing all her body weight into the jump. She and the guard went tumbling, as the alien reached for his weapon. She punched him in the face, right between the eyes, breaking his long, pointy nose. As he yelped in pain, she grabbed his laser pistol and walloped him over the head with it. The man went down, unconscious and bleeding from the nose. She quickly took up the utility belt he wore--a second pistol, knife, ammunition, a single food ration, a small communicator, a lighter, and tied rope and grappling hook. Tying it around her waist, she cocked the first pistol and emerged into the hall. It was lit only with torches, and from with the light she could see she was in some sort of underground cavern. She proceeded up a flight of stone steps, emerging at ground level into a large stone hallway. Luckily, most of the pirates were asleep at this hour of the night. *So far, so good.* Stealthily, she slunk down the hall, crouching behind crates, chests, and the like. She was almost discovered once as she passed the latrine, where an obese, blobby pirate was emerging, zipping up his corduroys. She stayed quiet, trying desperately to find the exit. She made it down to the end of the hallway and turned left, only to go halfway down and find a dead end awaited her. She crept back the way she came, heading instead to the right at the fork. After spending about 40 minutes weaving through hallways and dodging vulgar pirates, she came across what she was looking for: the large exit was in front of her, only 200 yards away. She darted across the hall, aiming to hide behind a nearby store of cannon parts. As she crouched down, she came in contact with something large, soft, warm, and reeking of body odor. She glanced down in horror to see that she had just sat on one of the front exit's guards, who had apparently slumped down their to have a swig of hard liquor and a quick snooze. The guard woke with a start, and proceeded to grab Amelia. Knowing that she had already been discovered, she made a clear break for the door.  
  
"PRISONER ESCAPING!" the sleepy guard bellowed.  
  
No sooner had he said this, when weapons fire began flying at her. She grabbed her pistol and fired with one hand as she unlocked the door and threw it open with the other. The pirates were beginning to advance on her now. As she felt a blaster bolt graze the top of her forehead, she also knew their aim was getting better as well. She ran full force, not bothering to shoot back at her assailants. One pirate was hot on her tracks, and made a leap to grab her. He managed to clutch her legs, and both flew to the ground. Amelia's pistol went flying from her hand and smacked up against a tree. The pirate pulled out his rifle and pointed it at her head.  
  
"Stay still!" he ordered, his hot breath on her face. She obliged just long enough to allow him begin standing, when she whipped out the knife and stabbed him in the side of the leg, right where she knew a vital vein would be. The pirate howled in pain, clutching his leg. As he proceeded to pull the knife out, she grabbed his rifle and shot a few rounds at the pirates lagging behind, who were voraciously firing their weapons at her. After taking down those closest to her, she took off at full sprint again.  
  
*******************************  
  
"Doc!" Jim exclaimed, as he caught glimpse of Doppler from the lower deck. Delbert had been working on the calibrations as he had promised, even if he did somehow hate this Raymond guy with a passion he couldn't quite explain. He looked up from the console to see Jim walking quickly toward him.  
  
"Jim, my boy," he said, pulling the young man into a brief, but firm hug, "I'm so relieved to see that you're all right. Your mother is going to be ecstatic."  
  
"I'll bet," he smiled, "I almost left her alone with no one but B.E.N.." Morph fluttered out of Jim's pocket and nuzzled the doctor affectionately. "It's been a rough couple of weeks tough," Jim told him.  
  
"I'm sure. The ship looks ravaged."  
  
"Yeah, I thought Raymond was a jerk before. Now that his ship's a mess, he's almost unbearable."  
  
"Oh, don't get me started on that...that, egotistical half-witted bastard."  
  
"Egotistical half-witted bastard!" Morph sung.  
  
"Whoa, Doc. A little forceful there. Been under some stress lately?"  
  
"You have no idea."  
  
"Well, why don't we discuss it over some of that pot roast I heard about. I'm starving, and the food here makes me prefer Silver's eyeball soup."  
  
"Yes," Delbert said, placing his tools on the console, "I think I'll take a break with you. I could really use a cup of tea right now."  
  
****************************  
*I could really use a cup of tea right now. And a shower. And maybe a way to get off this miserable rock.* She had been pursued for nearly two hours, until she had finally managed to lose the pirates in the thick, overgrown forest of the planet. Though she was free, she was justifiably miserable out on the planet's surface. To begin with, she had no idea where she was, and had no idea how she was going to escape and return to the Legacy. In addition, she was starving, for the ration in the stolen belt was meager at best, was tired, for she hadn't slept all night, and was sweltering in the heat of the planet's night. She didn't even want to THINK about how bad the day would be. She sat down on the ground by a nearby brook. It was small, maybe a foot and a half wide, and the water wasn't exactly pure, but she didn't care. She drank her fill of the supplement, and used some to clean the wounds she had acquired during her questionings and escape. Luckily, she wasn't hurt too bad; she would have to keep moving, or she may be discovered. She sat for a moment on the grass, wiping sweat from her brow. She sighed to herself, and chuckled sardonically. *And here I told Delbert I'd be back in three weeks at the time of my last letter... Well, hopefully he wouldn't worry to much,* she thought as she picked herself up again and began to move through the forest, *Because I may be a little late at this rate.*  
  
To be continued...  
  
Yeeee...ok. I took the advice of a reader and changed the format of the story---hopefully it's easier to read now. I didn't even realize how hard it was to read until I went back to a chapter to review what I had written...oops, sorry for all the eye strain. -_-'  
Anyway, here's the part where I thank you all profusely for your lovely feedback. It's the highlight of my day seeing that someone likes my work. I love doing it for you. The chapters may not come daily now, being that I am in school again (yuck) but I won't let you go more than three. I promise...I will finish this, and in a timely manner.  
  
Until next time,  
  
Aloha  
  
J. 


	9. Chapter 9

Ch.9  
Disclaimer: Contents: One (belated.... ) chapter of nothing I own  
  
Turnupian eggs and vegetables wasn't exactly one of his favorite meals. Captain Raymond wasn't exactly one of his favorite people. If Eigram hadn't so adamantly requested his presence at breakfast, he wouldn't have come, that was for sure. He had spent a good deal of the night talking to Jim about Montressor and his mother while trying to bring the virtual maps back online, and another good deal of it struggling to get comfortable in his bunk. Delbert thus ate his meal in silence, afraid that his lack of sleep as well as his lack of enthusiasm for the meal and company would lead him to say things he'd soon regret. Every time Raymond opened his massive jaw, however, he had to gracefully remind himself of his self-made promise to stay silent.  
  
"Repairs are coming along quite well," Raymond said, taking a swig of his drink that was in a large tankard, "I'm quite pleased at the pace at which your people are working."  
  
"It's my good command structure," Eigram kidded, shrugging nonchalantly.  
  
"Oh? If that's what it is, I never really thought MY ship ran so well. It does me good to hear that."  
  
Eigram snorted none to gracefully. "As I recall, I was the more promising cadet at the academy--I got a command before you did."  
  
"I was an exemplary student, thank you," the taller captain growled, "I performed just as well, if not better than you did in numerous courses."  
  
"Yeah. Detention and latrine duty."  
  
Raymond glared at him, then his expression faded to a chuckle. "Oh, I get it. You're still jealous of me. Really, Eigram, that's so childish. I mean it was YEARS ago."  
  
"Me? Jealous? I think you're mistaken. I believe you were quite green with envy because I managed to get a date with a certain red-headed feisty feline."  
  
"She just dated you because you had a bigger solar cruiser boat than I did."  
  
"That wasn't the only thing I had that was bigger," Eigram grinned widely.  
  
"Now see here!" Raymond bellowed, "I beg to differ sir! Moreover, such talk is hardly condoneable at an officer's table! Moreover, I BEG to differ!"  
  
Eigram looked at him innocently. "I was going to say 'brain,' but you've obviously come to more flattering assumptions."  
  
Raymond gave him a peeved look. "Vulgar beast. Besides, you aren't an item anymore. Your 'bigger' things, whatever you feel they might be, obviously couldn't cut it."  
  
"Well, of course not. But luckily for her she managed to find someone who could cut it. While I have no idea about the magnitude of his 'things' which you so deftly brought into a clean conversation, I do know the doctor here has quite the brain. I think she was quite attracted to smart men."  
  
"Well then why wouldn't she see me?" Raymond thumped his fist on the table.  
  
"I thought I've already made it clear what sort of men she likes."  
  
Raymond growled at him. "I'll have you know I'm plenty smart, Eigram. I just had no idea she was looking for men so smart that their heads allow for nothing else but bookish knowledge, thus making them socially inept." He glared pointedly at Doppler.  
  
"Come now, Raymond," Eigram said, "I really won't tolerate such talk about the doctor at the table."  
  
Raymond disregarded him and turned his anger on Delbert, who had his eyes trained on his food and had remained quiet the entire time. "I would just like you to know, sir, that I really and truly despise you."  
  
Deep inside himself, Delbert felt something snap. When added to the stress of the last few weeks, such comments from such self-important jackasses as Raymond just rubbed him the wrong way. Doppler looked up from his meal and stared Raymond straight in the eyes. "And I would like you to know, sir, that the feeling is highly mutual."  
  
"Now gentlemen--" Eigram tried to cut in.  
  
"I could have had a chance with her. You stole that."  
  
Delbert pushed his plate to the side, his anger flaring up. "Believe me, you had no chance."  
  
"If an ignoramus such as yourself managed to keep her interest, surely I could have," he countered, standing his full six and a half feet, looming over the doctor, "I LOVED her. And you ruined that for me."  
  
Delbert shot up from his chair and rounded on the taller captain, "Loved her? LOVED HER!? You maybe LUSTED for her! Do you know who sat with her for six hours during her first night in medical care after the Treasure Planet voyage? Me! Do you have any idea who traveled TWO DAYS to a backward planet and dealt with a haggling alien, in the freezing rain just to buy some of her favorite flowers? Who made a trip at THREE IN THE MORNING to get tissues when she had a cold? Who went out of his way to get her her most desired gifts for her birthday? Who went with her to see her distant relatives, including her very spiteful, very WICKED Great Aunt Aenid, a woman who seemed very much to love to loathe him? ME! *I* saw her off on every voyage, *I* spent long afternoons listening to her vent about her most horrible days, *I* comforted her on the anniversary of Arrow's death, *I* spent 27 long nights preparing a proposal for her, and dammit *I'M* the only one who has the right to say that I loved her!"  
  
"You have no idea of the feelings I have for her," Raymond spoke in low tones, "How dare you make assumptions."  
  
"Have? You HAVE no feelings for her. Even if you did want nothing more than to fulfill your sex-filled fantasies, it doesn't matter. She's DEAD! She's never, EVER coming back! You think you missed chances because you didn't have your way with her? The woman I love is GONE, and with her, my future! So don't you DARE start with me about ruined plans!" With that, he turned on his heel and stormed out if the room.  
  
Raymond scoffed, "The nerve of that man."  
  
Eigram shook his head and concentrated on his eggs. Taking a bite, he winced. They had gotten horribly cold while he sat and helplessly watched the other two men fight. And these eggs were SO bad cold.  
  
  
*************************************  
  
It was a particularly cold evening when the joint efforts of the Nefarious' and the Nautilus' crews were able to get the Nefarious running at nearly full capacity. Nothing could really be done about the guns on the left side of the galleon, at least not until they reached port. That, however, would have to wait for a few more weeks, as it was imperative that the two ships deliver the crown prince back to his homeworld. Ahai was indifferent about the whole turn of events; the demise of his parents saddened him, the betrayal by his sister shocked him, and the weight he now felt as the throne's only logical heir was daunting. Jim noticed he hadn't talked much since the ambush. Still, he didn't press the younger boy too much. He remember the time right after his father had left --everyone had tried to console and reassure him, smothering him in condolences and trite words, when all he really wanted was to be left alone. To think. To be upset. Ahai reminded him a great deal of himself, so he suspected the boy just wanted some time to himself to make sense of his now torn world. In the meantime, Jim's thoughts turned to the doctor. He had heard about the outburst he unleashed on Captain Raymond only three days prior. Since then, the canian had holed himself up in his bunk on board the Nautilus. While he and Doppler had discussed the attack, the astrophysicist had never outright noted Amelia's death. *I guess it's finally really hit home for him.* Jim hated to see his friend like this --the doctor was normally an affable guy; the shell of a man left in his place was hardly the same one who had embarked on the journey to Treasure Planet with him almost two years ago, dressed in that horrid suit. Jim sat on the middle mast and looked out into the etherium. This trip had messed up so many things for too many people. He couldn't help but feel angry. Lives were destroyed --and not just those of the dead. He sighed to himself, leaning back against the cool wood of the mast. He hadn't felt this saddened, this angry over anything since Arrow's murder. *Dammit, Silver. I could really use a pep talk now.* He smiled to himself, trying to think of how the old pirate would instruct him in helping the Nefarious back home and heightening the spirits of his friends. *Ya jus' gotta keep on yer toes, Jimbo. Do whatever it takes ta get dat ship home. I know ya can do it, lad. As for the others, well-they're are some tings even the great Jim Hawkins can't fix. Best ya just be there for 'em. That's all ya can do. I know ya can handle it. By the way, aren't ya sup'osed to be helping man radar? Em? You've got a job--now get to it!* He grinned as he climbed down the rigging. *Thank you, Silver.*  
  
*********************************  
  
For those of you who have never been, the Trandoshan area of space is particularly treacherous, full of cosmic hurdles, cold as hell, and huge. Eigram decided the best way to go back to Nexus VII was to go back the way the Nefarious had come. To cut through the space another way risked running into a main armada post, as well as that solar storm, which was still going strong, even after many weeks. While Raymond was weary to return to the space in which he was attacked, Eigram assured him that they would move with the utmost caution, with radar sweeping at all times. Now that they knew a threat was out there, he claimed, they could be ready for it. All working guns on both ships were manned at all times, and staff compliments were doubled. While the overtime was grueling at times on the crewmembers, it beat the hell out of being caught with their pants down in the event of an attack. Eigram had asked Jim to take the helm for awhile--his helmsman hadn't slept in 37 hours, and was getting far beyond irritable. When she snapped at her captain, Eigram decided that the young woman needed rest. Embarrassed, she had apologized profusely to him, and headed for her bunk. While he may have had more capable pilots, the etherium was calm and there was no immediate sign of danger, so he figured he let the cadet have his hand at the wheel and let his seasoned veterans rest until there was pressing need for them. Raymond was now on board his own vessel, standing tall and haughty on his newly repaired bridge. Eigram shook his head as he thought about his cohort. He had really set the doctor off that one day, had antagonized Thi to such an extent that she threatened to resign her commission right there if she wasn't allowed to be removed from his ship, and had more than treated himself to Eigram's secret (or not so much anymore...) stash of fine Ailurian chocolates. Just the thought of that empty blue box made his eye twitch. The sooner this mission was over, the better.   
  
  
"Captain," his radar specialist broke his train of thought, "I've got something on radar."  
  
Eigram strode over to the navigation console, his eyes gazing at a large object about 10 000 miles from where they currently were.  
  
"A ship?" he asked the specialist.  
  
"Most likely. Looks to be the size of a galleon."  
  
"Friendly?"  
  
"I don't know. It's not moving."  
  
"Well, let's maintain a distance from it of at least 30 miles at all times."  
  
"Aye, sir."  
  
"Mister Hawkins," the feline turned to Jim, "Let's move in little closer for a look. If it's friendly, it may be able to help us find a shortcut out of this space. Quite frankly, I'll just as soon leave it behind as soon as possible."  
  
"Yes, Captain."  
  
Jim turned the Nautilus toward the ship, taking care to keep ample distance.   
  
  
*******************************  
  
From the Nefarious, Raymond furrowed his brow in confusion. *Where is that damn boy leading us?* He glared at Jim, who he could see was thoroughly concentrating on piloting the Nautilus. Eigram had requested the boy stay on his ship, allegedly to help attend to the doctor. *Good riddance,* he had thought, *the boy was just trouble anyway.* Now as he watched the Nautilus cruise toward the stagnant vessel ahead of them, he regretted not keeping the cadet on board. *If he was on my ship right now, I'd flay him.* He punched the transmission button on his communications console. "Eigram! What the hell are you doing? Can't you see that dumbass cadet of yours is heading toward an unidentified ship? Do you WANT to get us killed?"  
  
"Relax, Raymond," Eigram's calm voice flowed through the speaker, "I have every idea what I'm doing."  
  
"Ruddy hell, man! I'm telling you, the last time we ran into a ship in this space we nearly got blown straight out of the etherium! Now you're being an ass, so let's just turn and move AWAY from the ship!" Raymond called into the console. He was then treated to a 'click' as the Nautilus cut off communication. "That bastard hung up on me!"  
  
Raymond pulled his ship in closer to it's counterpart, in hopes of using the Nautilus' guns to protect his weakened left side. They were getting progressively closer to the ship, and Raymond felt his insides knot. He could see Eigram clearly now, he was standing on his main deck, looking at the ship through a scope. Noticing that he was being watched, Eigram put down the glass and waved at the other captain, a big grin splitting his face. Raymond's gesture back was none to kind, nor was it civilized.  
  
Delbert emerged from below deck in just enough time to see Raymond's rather vulgar hand expression. Eigram just laughed back at him. *How he manages to keep his temper around that jerk is far beyond me,* Delbert thought, making his way to where Eigram stood, *I was about THIS close to knocking that guy out the other day. Ok...so maybe HE would've ended up knocking ME out, but I would have gotten a few good punches in before I lost consciousness.* The captain smiled when he saw him approach.  
  
"Delbert, so good to see you up."  
  
"Thank you, captain."  
  
"We're currently trying to seek help from that vessel there," he said, pointing to the still vessel in front of them, "Hopefully, they'll know a safe, fast way to get us back to Nexus VII."  
  
"And if they're foes?"  
  
"They're at a good enough distance to shoot at us now. They would have done so already."  
  
"Ah. Good."  
  
Delbert looked out at the vessel, squinting to see if he saw any activity on board. In retrospect, Eigram wasn't shocked when an audible gasp came from both Jim and Doppler.  
  
"Captain!" Jim called from the bridge, "That's--"  
  
"--The Legacy," Delbert breathed.  
  
***********************************  
  
One would think that after a week or so trying to fend for themselves in the forests of this unknown planet, that they would be used to the sweltering heat by now. Amelia wiped her brow with the back of her hand as she trudged up a sharp incline. However many simply retched days and nights she spent amongst the overgrown foliage, she just couldn't get used to the 124 degree weather. She stopped at the end of the incline, plopping down next to a small standing pond. She splashed the lukewarm water on her face and dirty arms --she had discarded her captain's blazer a long while back, and was using it as storage for some edible fruits she had mercifully stumbled on three days ago. She had toyed with the idea of using the communicator in her stolen tool belt to try and contact her ship, but she quickly realized that, without proper modification, it wouldn't reach but a little bit past the atmosphere. As she sat by the water, she took one of the fruits and began to pry the tough rien of the outside. They fit nicely in her hand, were a soft pink and had a pleasant sugar-sweet taste, but nine consecutive meals of it was staring to take it's toll on his stomach, which ached for something different. Still, she HAD to eat, so she began stuffing small pieces into her mouth, chewing thoroughly as she assessed her surroundings. The waterfront had quite a few exotic looking plants by it --tall blue grasses, tall, thin bushes with long, wispy leaves, and about fifteen different kinds of flower. Her eyes managed to find the way toward one particular kind, a lovely blossom with an arrangement of petals-- that began as lavender and faded into pure white --in a long, horn-shape. They reminded her a bit of Hoisai lilies, her most favorite flower. As she sat by the pond bank, she thought about the beautiful pressed blossoms she had back on the Legacy, lying between the pages of one of her favorite books. Both had been a gift from Delbert.  
  
  
  
The small place she had on Cresentia was by no means lavish. It was tidy and organized, just the way she liked it. While Delbert had graciously offered her a room at his enormous house, she didn't feel like intruding on him. Besides, Delbert wasn't exactly the neatest guy on the face of Montressor. She would likely find herself arranging her lover's messes into some sort of order. Right now, he was sitting on her small dark green sofa, finishing the tea she had brought for him. He was aimlessly observing the bookcase behind him, reading the titles of all the books there. She sat down beside him, watching him as he skimmed. When he noticed her regarding him, he turned away from the bookcase and blushed.  
  
"Sorry."  
  
"No need to be. There's nothing interesting there anyway, I'm afraid. All naval histories. They belonged to my father and I just didn't have the heart to throw them away."  
  
Delbert knew very little about her father, only that he was deceased; he had died when Amelia was nineteen. She was obviously close to him though, finding it so hard to throw away books she had no desire for.  
  
"He was a history buff?" he questioned. He looked kind of cautious as he finished the question, apparently afraid that she would become angry that he was prying, and ask him to leave.  
  
She sighed to herself. She hadn't really talked about her personal life with anyone. But this was DELBERT. Somewhere, deep down, she knew it would be all right if she shared a little of her past with him. "He loved everything about Her Majesty's navy. History, boat structures, everything." She stood and walked to the bookcase, pulling off an unmarked book and sitting back down with it. She opened the blood red cover and Delbert could see that it was a photo album. On the first page was a young officer, a captain.  
  
"That was him, two years before he married my mum. He used to brag about how handsome he was in those days --about how all the female officers thought he was dashing."  
  
Delbert nodded as she turned the page. The same man was in the photo, this time gaping at an old galleon. "That's him at the old shipyards on Her Majesty's homeworld. Mum took the picture. He said she was absolutely fed up with him that day. He spent all his time just looking at old vessels, not speaking a single word to her."  
  
She continued turning pages, past her parent's wedding, past her birth and infancy, telling him about the planet she grew up on, about her father's tight household, about her mother's death. He listened intently, hanging on her every word. He knew very well that Amelia rarely showed anyone her more personal side, and he was honored that she saw fit to inform him. She turned the next page to a large picture of a seven year old feline girl, who was dressed in a little white dress, her red hair done up in a matching bow. She was surrounded in flowers, and was beaming a toothy smile at the camera.  
  
"That was my seventh birthday. My father had bought me two dozen Hoisai lilies, because they were my favorite. He took me out on one of his longboats that day, and treated me to a great dinner afterwards. That night he gave me a box of lovely truffles for dessert and read my favorite book to me. All 57 chapters."  
  
He laughed. "Fifty-seven?"  
  
"He couldn't speak all the next day. The talking had cause him to lose his voice," she chuckled. As she stared at the picture, her face turned somber. *To think, in that picture, I had no idea I'd lose him just 12 years later.*  
  
"Are you all right?" Delbert's voice cut into her thoughts.  
  
She smiled. *Ah, Delbert, darling. So much concern. Such the worrier.*  
  
"I'm fine, dear," she said, closing the album, "Just got a little nostalgic there, that's all."  
  
"For what it's worth," he said, standing up and gathering up his coat, "I thought you were cute."  
  
"Were?" she pouted, "What am I now, pray tell?"  
  
"Gorgeous, ravishing, stunning..."  
  
She laughed. "Oh come off it you brown-noser."  
  
"I speak nothing but my heart at all times," he grinned, repeating a line that she was given by a certain pirate not too long ago.  
  
"Sure," she said, grabbing him by the coat. She pulled him in for a long, hard kiss, then released him, leaving him panting. She whisked open the door and shoved him out it. "Now get out of my house before you make me ill with all your kissing up," she teased.  
  
He laughed as she shut the door in his face dramatically.  
  
  
That was two days ago. He hasn't contacted me since then, she noted, staring out her window at the falling rain. She couldn't imagine where he could possibly be. *The nerve of that man. Just up and leaves without a trace. And on my birthday of all days...* She glared at the raindrops, as if they were somehow responsible for her loneliness. *I can't believe he forgot it. I mean, I know he's a little absent-minded at times, but surely I thought he'd remember a day that was so important to me. The man knows the speed of an electron to eighteen decimal places, but he can't remember one date.* All in all, she didn't so much care that he was missing her birthday, moreover that he suddenly left without telling her, something he never did. Fear clutched at her heart for a second. Delbert would have said something to her by now-- unless something happened that prevented that. *Please, please let him be all right,* she thought to herself. The thought of Delbert hurt or in trouble made her shiver. Though she may not openly show it too much, especially in public, she had to admit to herself that she felt something for him that she had never felt for anyone before. He was so kindhearted and wonderful. She loved him greatly, and would tell him so --after tearing his head off for disappearing without a word to her. She leaned up against her wall, watching the rain come down harder outside. For all his faults, Delbert treated her so well, and she just felt like she was on top of a cloud when he was with her. Though she wouldn't reveal her light-headedness whenever he would take her dancing or kiss her deeply, it was still a remarkable feeling, one she greatly enjoyed and never wanted to end. *I wonder if it'll be like that when we're an old married couple.*  
  
She sighed, then stopped.  
  
*Old married couple? Now where in the hell did that come from?* She ran her fingers through her short hair, holding her breath. *Oh come on, you damn ninny. You know perfectly well that if he asked you to run off with him tonight you'd call him nuts, crazy, loony, and do it anyway.* She exhaled. That was it. She LOVED him. Head-over-heals, crazy, mad in love. She groaned to herself. Amelia, the great ice captain was going soft. And all because of some inept, but horribly charming astrophysicist. *Just don't turn into one of those gushy women who cry over stupid things, for the love of God.* She shook her head. She never really considered the possibility of being madly in love with someone, let alone marrying them. *But I would..* she thought, *If he asked right now, I would.* Sitting down on her sofa, she leaned back and stared at the ceiling. *Imagine if we were married. I'd be able to get my hands on that wreckage site he calls an observatory. And then he'd prevent me from doing anything, arguing that he wouldn't be able to find anything. And I'd argue back that he couldn't find anything to begin with. Then he'd get that adamant, stubborn look on his face, the one he gets when trying to be stern. And then I'd laugh, because he looks so ridiculous. I'd whisk his charming self upstairs and have my way with him...and then clean the place when he's exhausted the next morning.* She smiled to herself. There was a knock on the door then, and she managed to pull herself out of her reverie long enough to answer the door. Standing there with a parcel under his right arm and a large bouquet of Hoisai lilies in his left hand was a thoroughly soaked Delbert.  
  
"Happy birthday," he said sheepishly.  
  
"My god!" she said, pulling him inside, where he began to drip on her tile walkway, "What happened to you?"  
  
"Long story. Here," he said, handing her the flowers and the package, "These are yours."  
  
She took them from him, putting the flowers in water and the present on the table in the kitchen.  
  
"Where were you? You had me worried," she said, fixing him with a look that clearly said, 'Explain mister.'  
  
"Turns out that Hoisai lilies aren't in season on Montressor. I had to...travel a bit for them."  
  
"A bit? To where?"  
  
"Hoisai."  
  
"That's two days round trip!"  
  
"Yes. But my pilot was quite quick about it. It was the haggling that took me awhile."  
  
"Haggling?"  
  
"Well, Hoisai is in the middle of a rainy season. These lilies don't grow well in over watered circumstances. So they're a bit hard to come by right now. Can you believe I spent two hours haggling with this guy? He wanted 300 Montressor dollars for them."  
  
"Ridiculous."  
  
"I know."  
  
"So you talked him down?"  
  
"To 150 anyway."  
  
"You paid 150 dollars for flowers?!"  
  
"Well, you were just telling me the other day that they were your favorite. Remember the picture?"  
  
She gaped at him. All this time he was going out of his way to get her flowers? She would have hugged him there, if he weren't completely drenched.  
  
"I...don't know what to say."  
  
"Open the gift," he said, grinning like a child who had just done something very good. She lifted the parcel off the table. It was heavy, and fairly large. She pulled back the wrapping. It was a rather old but lovely looking book with the title engraved across the green cover in gold: The Voyage of Mondas Heim-- her favorite book as a child. She suspected this had to be one of the first printings of it, for it looked to be easily seventy years old. *Screw the fact that his clothes have more water in them than the Gandas river, I'm gonna kiss him stupid,* she thought, fighting down the tears that were forming in the corners of her eyes. It wouldn't do for her to start blubbering.  
  
"You like it?" he asked her, raising one eyebrow in her direction.  
  
"It's-- perfect. How can I ever thank you?"  
  
"Turn up the thermostat," he said, "I'm-- ACHOO! Freezing."  
  
She turned her attention back to his stance. He was looking pale, as if he had been standing in those wet clothes for many hours and had already started getting sick. "C'mon, you. Let's get those clothes off you before you flood my kitchen."  
  
  
  
  
  
He had in fact had a horrible bout with the flu the next morning, she remembered. She spent the next four days trying to nurse the doctor back to health, and had ended up reading the entirety of her new book to him. She remembered watching him sleep, him wheezing during his lighter naps. Amelia smiled as she fingered the exotic blossoms by the pond side. She desperately missed him now, and would give just about anything to be off this planet and in bed with him, watching him sleep deeply. He was absolutely adorable when he slept. She picked herself up off the floor and continued moving, trying to think of a way she could return to the Legacy. She walked, deep in thought, just barely taking notice of the trees she passed. She was just about to rethink her communicator idea when her left foot hit something hard and she was sent tumbling to the ground. She looked back and noticed that she had tripped over an old longboat. It was half-covered in vines and such, and was far to ruined to be used as any useful means of escape, but still...  
  
It had parts.  
  
Maybe enough to enhance that communicator.  
  
Eureka.  
  
  
To be continued....  
  
Heh...I know, it's been awhile. I promised I'd update in 3 days, and here it is 6 days later. I'm so sorry!!!!! Now that registration and such at college is over, I may be able to settle into a reasonable schedule that will allow me to update sooner. I wrote the last part for Amelia on request from a friend. I hope it's what you're looking for. :)  
  
Aloha,  
  
J. 


	10. Chapter 10

Ch. 10  
  
Disclaimer: 10 chapters later and I still own nothing.  
  
The Legacy was in horrible shape, what with it being scorched and broken, with two half-torn sails. Still, to Delbert, it was a sight for sore eyes. As the Nautilus began to approach the side of the injured galleon in order to board, he felt his heart racing...only twenty feet separated him from being reunited with Amelia. After long last, and horrible weeks of despair, he would finally get to be with her again. He was so happy, he almost considered apologizing to Raymond later for the argument they had had.  
  
Almost.  
  
As the boarding plank was extended, Delbert could see Mr. Turgevny standing near the ledge, looking worn and overly joyed that help had finally come. He clammbered on board behind Eigram.  
  
"Capton," Turgevny said, addressing Eigram, "You hav absolutely no idea how overjoyed I am too see you."  
  
"We're glad to see you're still alive, Commander. Where's the captain? I have something that belongs to her," Captain Eigram glanced back at Doppler.  
  
Turgevny frowned. "I am avraid she it not vith us. She vos captured in ze attock."  
  
Eigram's eyes widened, and he let his gaze flicker over to the doctor. He almost thought he could physcially hear the other man's heart drop to the deck.   
  
"Well," Eigram spoke up, "Do we have any idea where she may have been taken?"  
  
Turgevny shook his head sadly. "I am afraid not. I hav no idea vere ze pirates vere intending on taking her. Or vy."  
  
The Captain shut his eyes tightly, blocking out everything and allowing himself a moment to think. He sighed audibly and opened his eyes again. "Well, first things first. Do you have any propulsion?"  
  
"No, sir."  
  
"Well, we'll work on that first. We'll have to make do with whatever spares I have left over from Raymond's restructuring. We may have to tow you if worse comes to worst."  
  
Turgevny nodded.  
  
"In the meantime," Eigram continued, "We can try to piece together this whole charade, and see if we can't find Captain Amelia."  
  
"Aye sir. I'll tell you all zat I know. Ve can talk in the Capton's stateroom."  
  
"Very good. Delbert, would you please accompany me? Thi, please get with a team of Mr. Turgevny's and corrdinate some help for his crew."  
  
"Yes, sir," Thi said.  
  
Delbert followed the Captain and acting Captain to Amelia's stateroom. Things had been knocked over and broken, but the room was more or less in one piece. Delbert sat on her desk chair, leaning back on the padded seat. The red cloth smelled lightly of her perfume. Eigram began to slowly pace the length of the room, while Turgevny stood at attention.  
  
"So did you actually see her get taken?" Eigram asked the alien first mate.  
  
"Only brievly. I vos a bit occupied myselv. I assumed zat she vould escape."  
  
"How many pirates overtook the Legacy?"  
  
"Thirty, maybe, on board ze Legacy. There vere more on ze others."  
  
"Were they any---"  
  
The stateroom door burst open, cutting short Eigram's inquiry.  
  
"Nice, Eigram. Real nice," Raymond flew into the room, "You have an important meeting amongst captains and CONVENIENTLY forget to notify me. I suppose HE put you up to it," he said, pointing at Doppler.  
  
"No. It was all my idea."   
  
"Very funny," Raymond sneered, "Where's my lovely Amelia?"  
  
Eigram winced at the pained look on the doctor's face at the mention of his lost lover's name. "Raymond, please. We're in the process of discussing that."  
  
"Discussing? Well, is she here or not?"  
  
"Not."  
  
"She not dead?" Raymond asked quietly.  
  
"Ve don't know, sir," Turgevny spoke up, "She vos taken hostage."  
  
"Where was she taken?"  
  
"Ve don't know."  
  
Raymond rubbed his eyes with the pads of his fingers, "Terrific."  
  
"We're going to try to find her," Eigram said, giving a reassuring look at Delbert, "I'm sure she's fine. If I know her, she's probably alive and terrorizing her captors." He paused and then turned his attention to the Legacy's first mate, who was currently leaning against the weapon's cabinet, rubbing his temples. "Anything you know that may be of some importance to us?"  
  
Turgevny nodded, "Let me tell you all I vos able to gather on zis area of space..."  
  
*************************  
  
When the cadet's had heard that help had finally come, they couldn't have been more ecstatic. The blonde cadet bounded up the stairs to the main deck, leading the others who wanted to catch a glimpse of one of the angels come to save them. Needless to say, she was shocked when the first face she caught was that of Jim Hawkins.  
  
"Holy hell! C.B.! You're alive?" she rushed over to him.  
  
"I was going to ask you the same thing," he said, "The Legacy looks to be in a lot worse shape than the Nefarious was."  
  
"How'd you find us?" the Galaxian cadet spoke in a rushed voice.  
  
"We were simply traveling back to Nexus VII the way we came. I just happened to spot you guys as friendly."  
  
Calden flew out of nowhere to hug Jim firmly. "Hawkins, I can't thank you enough for showing up. I thought we were soooo dead. This makes up for you being a show-offy jerk in class. Thankyouthankyouthankyou...I don't think I could have taken one more meal of purp and Narf intestine salad."  
  
Jim pryed the taller cadet off of him. "Err...sure, anytime."  
  
"So why were you heading back to Nexus VII anyway?" the Canian cadet spoke up.  
  
"We have to return Prince Ahai back to his homeworld as soon as possible."  
  
"Whoa....wait, wait," the dog-like female said, "I saw the royal caravan blow up. I know I did."  
  
"The prince and princess weren't onboard it. What did you think I was doing on the Nefarious anyway?"  
  
"Mopping," Calden's answer came.  
  
"So they're alive and safe on the Nefarious," the Galaxian got the conversation back on track.  
  
"Ahai is anyway," Jim winced.  
  
"What happened to Carysa?"  
  
"Uh...well, this isn't pretty to hear, but...hell..."  
  
****************  
  
"All is going as we planned, sir," said the tall orange alien with only one eye. He finished his salute to his commander, pulling his hand down from his forehead, just over the brown patch that covered his right eye.   
  
"Good," the leader said, "After letting the feline escape, I would be very...cross, should anything else fail."  
  
"We still have a few scouts out looking for her, sir."  
  
"Give them two more days then call them back. I doubt she'll last that long out there. She's probably already dead."  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
The leader picked up his marble goblet, which was encrusted with a few fine rubies and emeralds, and took a long drink. After swallowing, he put the cup down and spoke again, "I trust we are almost prepared to move."  
  
"Yes, sir. The Gandorian navy has already signed an allegiance with us, granted they can still hold their territory after the takeover."  
  
"Of course."  
  
"The Trandoshans have also offered their help in financially assisting us. They do want the mining colonies of Saprum One and Two as retribution, though."  
  
"Granted. As soon as we have the system in our control, they can take them for their own."  
  
"Carysa says she will return to Nexus VII within the fortnight," one-eye continued, "As the only surviving heir, she will be able to take control over the Nexus system, and use it to our advantage."  
  
"Splendid."  
  
"She says she had already contacted some of Nexus' allies prior to the voyage. She has managed to...persuade Gynus and Sereblem to join our cause."  
  
"Persuade?"  
  
"She threatened to blow them into oblivion, just as you asked her to."  
  
"Good."  
  
"By the time we join our available forces, we should be able to take over all systems from here to Arcadia in less than three weeks."  
  
"And the Royal Navy...?"  
  
"...Will be too busy expending her fleet to protect the Queen, whose homeworld will 'circumstantially' fall under attack. However, their efforts will be for nothing, thanks to your planning."  
  
"Then our inside man is inside the palace, undetected, as we speak?"  
  
"No one's the wiser."  
  
"Most excellent, my friend," the leader said, standing, "By this time two months from now, the galaxy will be the place of a new order...mine."  
  
  
******************  
  
With next to nothing to work with, Amelia was amazed she was able to get as many of the improvements on the communicator working as she did. The progress, however, was not without it's price, and her fingers showed every implication of that. They were cut and raw beyond belief, and there was a possibility that she had a small piece of shrapnel lodged in her left ring finger, but still, if the blasted thing worked, it would be worth it. She turned it on and said the bandwidth to a far-reaching frequency. She sucked in a breath and spoke into the small microphone.  
  
"This is Captain Amelia of the RLS Legacy. I'm marooned on an unidentified planet, and I'm being pursued. I require assistance immediately."  
  
She shut the communicator's recording device off and continued walking. All she could do now was wait, and pray that something friendly got her message.  
  
******************  
  
It had been a long night for everyone. All of the crews were sufficiently worn out, so most of the members had turned in early for the night. Despite his exhaustion, Delbert Doppler couldn't sleep. He had opted to stay the night in Amelia's quarters, for they were still in good shape and the atmosphere was somehow comforting. He paced the bedroom aimlessly, his emotions mixed and turbulent. On the one hand, he was desperately hoping that Amelia was still alive and would come back to him. The more pessimistic part of his brain jeered at him, calling him foolish for not letting the whole thing go. And in between all of that was the part that concentrated on getting the Legacy going again, the part that needed to see Jim safely back home, the part the still wanted to deck Raymond, and the part that told him to stop pacing before he wore a hole in the floor. He sighed to himself and sat on the bed. It was a fairly large one, more than big enough for two, with a lavish gold headboard and navy blue blankets. The pillows that sat upon it were also gold and blue, made of luxurious fabrics and adorned with silky tassels. He leaned back on the pillows, which not surprisingly still smelled like her. He knew that no one had really seen her bedroom, minus himself, of course, so the room remained wholly untouched from the last time she used it. He reached out for a piece of parchment that sat on the bedside table. He opened it and grinned to himself as he recognized his last letter to her, the one with his (second) failed proposal. She was funny like that. Though she wasn't overly sentimental or gushy about anything, she still kept that stupid letter. She was so complex; such an enigma. He supposed that was maybe why he had loved her so much --to break into her, to really understand her, was a challenge, like a puzzle. And what good man of science turns down a puzzle? He placed the letter back on the table and crawled under the dark blue blankets, and lay still, staring at the paper. The very last thing he could have possibly said to her, and he wasted it, asking her to update him on Jim's behavior. Stupid, stupid. He sighed and turned away from the letter. *No sense in worrying about it now.* Maybe it was the fact that this whole mess had worn him down, but he soon found that he had come to the realization that he would never be with her again, and wasting time wondering what he should have done or said was pointless. He would miss her, mourn for her, lament never being wed to her, or having children with her. *Oh, but couldn't you just see me as a father? Now THAT would be a sight to behold. Quite the wild idea.* Still, for all the mistakes he would have surely made, it might have been nice. When he thought of kids he always envisioned having little girls, two, no more than three, all as beautiful as their mother, with clever little minds and stubborn personalities. They would surely make his hair turn gray far before it's time, but they would be so remarkable, so wonderful, that it wouldn't matter. He thought of the picture he had once seen of Amelia on her seventh birthday...yes, two or three little princesses all decked out in darling white dresses and surrounded by flowers. All with gorgeous little smiles and all the apple of their father's eye. And of course, Amelia would be there to keep them all in line. It would have been perfect. *You promised yourself you'd stop thinking like that,* he chided himself, *It's over, whether you like it or not. No more Amelia, no more dream wedding, no more little girls clambering up on your lap for a story. All those prospects are gone. Accept that. She'd have wanted you to. Don't live with unlikely hopes.* He sighed as he closed his eyes to sleep. He could accept it, would accept it, but would be miserable doing so. Nothing could be done about that. "Wherever you are, love, I hope you're resting well."  
  
********************  
  
Raymond stood tall in front of his long mirror, peering at his chiseled form. He flexed a few times in front of the glass for good measure, then threw a white nightshirt on. This voyage was really starting to wear away at him. With his lovely Amelia missing, his rival Eigram at the helm of the mission, and the damned doctor hovering over all the bad things, it was a wonder he hadn't lost his cool yet. His mind turned to his first stress. *Ahhh, Amelia. That gorgeous, succulent lady.* He really didn't know what he was going to do if she was never found. He had pined over her for so many years, and it just didn't seem natural to go a day without thinking of her body curled up against his as he woke on a spring morning. *Aren't fantasies, great?* And in his fantasies, EVERYTHING went his way, and everything, especially the sex, was top notch. If she didn't return, he had no possibility of making those fantasies reality. *If she could see them too, she'd be all for the idea of her and me.* He grinned to his reflection. Yup, he was quite the specimen of man, and if she was found, he would persue her much more eagerly His thoughts then strayed to Eigram, whom he hated, and hated more still when he had to put his tail between his legs and be rescued by the feline. *They could have sent anyone in the goddamn fleet and they sent the jerkoff from the tenth level of hell.* Eigram thought he was so smart, so talented...well, good for him. Raymond had had his ship attacked by three assailants and survived...*Eigram just shows up with a few spare parts and suddenly he's "Mister Hero".* And then there was Doppler. God in the heavens how he hated, despised, loathed, cursed, and detested that man. *How dare he think he can just usurp the object of my affections? And what the hell makes him think that she LOVES him? Arrogant bastard. I'll show him. When Amelia comes back, we'll see who winds up with her in the end.* He left his room for the bridge, deciding to check in with his helmsman and first officer before turning in. He wanted to see to it that his ship was kept running at top capacity at all times. No way Eigram was going to show him up.   
  
"Everything under control, Lor?"  
  
"Aye, sir."  
  
"Good, good. I'll be retiring for the evening. Let me know if anything unusual comes up." He turned and descended the steps from the bridge, heading for his chambers.  
  
"Uh, captain?"  
  
Raymond rolled his eyes and turned back toward the bridge. "What?"  
  
"Something unusual has come up."  
  
Raymond ascended the stairs again and made his way to the console that Lor was hovering over. "A communication? From who?"  
  
Lor pushed the "receive" button.  
  
" This... Captain Amelia...Legacy, I'm marooned... being pursued. I require... assistance...."  
  
It was full of static and hard to hear, but there was no mistaking it.  
  
*Hold on, my foxy captain. I'll come for you.* Using the signal, he could easily track her location...and bring her back to him. "Lor, notify the Legacy and the Nautilus. Tell them I've found her."  
  
"Aye, sir."  
  
Raymond's spirits were high as he returned to his room. *I'll just rescue her and bring her back to the safety of my ship. I'll be her knight in shinning armor... she won't be able to resist me...*  
  
  
***************  
  
The rush of light into the dark room gnawed badly at his dialated pupils. In the doorway, he could just make out someone's outline, though he could not discern their identity without putting on his glasses first. When the person spoke, however, it was unmistakably Turgevny.  
  
"Doctor, I hav good news."  
  
"Couldn't it have waited until morning?" Delbert groaned, reaching for his spectacles.  
  
"I figured you vould hav vanted to hear it now. Raymond just got a transmission. We hav located her."  
  
Delbert's heart stopped. "What...what did you...s-say?"  
  
"The Capton. We hav located Amelia. Raymond and Eigram are devising a plan to retrieve her right now."  
  
"Th-thank you."  
  
"Of course," Turgevny said, turning and shutting the door behind himself.  
  
Delbert sat still in the dark for a moment. Alive. She was alive. Maybe there was something to be said for unlikely hopes. He didn't even notice he was crying until he tried to situate his glasses on his face. Later, he imagined it must have been a bizarre facial combination, the smile on his face and tears spilling down his cheeks. There was still time. There was still time for "wild ideas."   
  
*There's still time for us.*  
  
  
  
To be continued....  
  
"Thank the lord and pass the gravy..." cool. I laughed when I read that review. I know the updates are spreading out and getting posted at erratic times, and I apologize. It's been crazy at work...Tampa Bay's going to the Super Bowl, and everybody wants a piece of the action, as well as lots of victory booze and pork rinds, so that's where I come in... -_-' Still more to come...you will see the end, I swear. Keep checking back. Love to all my loyal reviewers.  
  
Aloha,  
  
J. 


	11. Chapter 11

Ch. 11  
  
Disclaimer the eleventh: You know the drill by now.  
  
Raymond hadn't slept all night, but he still found himself remarkably alert and ready to look this mission he had devised in the eye and say "Shove it up your ass; I am Raymond, hear me roar." He gave one last glance into his brown leather satchel, a small bag which was to be his only resource on the foreign planet where Amelia was being held captive. The planet was three days away, six round trip, so he allowed himself to pack enough ration packs to last two people that long, some rope, first aid supplies in a shiny red metal container, a sharp eight inch knife, some water, a fuel cell for his flintlock A-17 pistol, and of course, the pistol itself. While he would have preferred a more hefty, dangerous gun, it simply wouldn't fit. He had but a few square inches of space left, and decided that he could wedge in one more important item. He grabbed his black comb off of his dresser and shoved it in the bag, pulling the drawstrings tight. *No sense in looking bad when you rescue her if you can possibly avoid it.* He slung the sack over his right shoulder, and straightened out his jacket. There was no telling what the weather would be down there, so best to bundle up and strip down as the need arose. With a broad sweep of his huge hand, he whisked the door to his stateroom open and headed for the main deck. There was already an extension ramp leading from his ship to the Nautilus, where Eigram was already conversing with some senior officers from the other ships in the "fleet." Raymond climbed onto the plank wood, and crossed the bridge in three long strides, his footfalls heavy as he walked and leapt down onto the Nautilus.  
  
"Good morning, Raymond," Eigram greeted with a smile, "And I want to thank you for providing us with some music this morning. Your footsteps are as loud as a Golondrian drum--and I do believe you've just sounded the first four notes of the Jikius Sonata. Do keep going, it's a rather nice song."  
  
"I don't have time to deal with your childish humor, Eigram," Raymond snarled, "There are more pressing issues at hand."  
  
"Of course, of course," Eigram said, with a wave of his hand, "I've reviewed your plan with the senior officers on all ships. Are you sure you want to personally do this? Why not send someone else?"  
  
"My first officer can keep an eye on my ship. Besides, this is a very delicate mission. I can't trust a rookie to it. I want to see that I...we get Amelia back as soon as possible."  
  
Eigram raised an eyebrow at him and spoke. "Well then, you an your counterpart can be underway immediately."  
  
Raymond did a double-take. "Counterpart?"  
  
Eigram looked at him as if the most idiotic question had just emerged from his mouth. "Well you can't very well go alone, can you?"  
  
"Sure I can! I'm an experienced officer! I've been a captain for over 15 years!"  
  
"And Amelia's been one for over 18," Eigram countered, "But she still found herself in trouble."  
  
"I can handle it, Eigram," Raymond said through gritted teeth.  
  
"Nonsense. You're taking someone with you, and that's final. I'm in charge here, don't forget."  
  
Raymond rolled his eyes and mumbled under his breath, "Stupid son of a---"  
  
"I'm sorry?" Eigram questioned, "I didn't catch that."  
  
"Nothing. Who's coming with me, anyway?"  
  
Eigram beamed. "I'm glad you asked."  
  
Raymond's face fell. "Don't you DARE say Doppler. I swear... if one freakin' "d" word comes out of your mouth, I'll rip your throat out and feed it to my iguana."  
  
"I'm sending Hawkins."  
  
"A cadet? You're sending me with a CADET? Good god man, I'm on a rescue mission, not a baby-sitting job."  
  
"I think he'll be a valuable asset. He's young, agile. You'll be able to use his skills and abilities to your advantage. You're not as young as you used to be."  
  
Raymond sighed heavily, as if someone were asking him to do an impossibly daunting task, or just really ticking him off. *Yeah, it's the second one.* "I DON'T need help. Besides, I'm not about to wait on him. I want to leave immediately."  
  
"No problem. He should almost be finished packing."  
  
Raymond's eyes widened and he gripped Eigram's left arm, dragging him off to the side, away from the other officers. "You already told him?"  
  
"Raymond, you seem to hate it so much when I remind you that I'm in charge, so I won't. I'll just give you this incredulous look that says, 'I'm in charge, and therefore, yeah I told him.'"  
  
"Can't I get a ranking officer?"  
  
"There's a reason to my madness," Eigram explained, "Hawkins is good. He knows what he's doing. Besides, if Amelia's hurt, she's more likely to try to hide her injuries to save face in front of a regular crewmember, and could make it worse. According to Delbert, Jim's already seen her injured, so she may be reasonable and let you take care of her."  
  
Raymond pondered this. The thought of a slightly weakened Amelia all vulnerable and needing to be carried in his arms was appealing. "I expect him to follow MY orders. And if he gets himself killed...well, YOU told him he could come."  
  
"He'll be fine."  
  
"Fine," Raymond crossed his arms, looked one around the deck, then turned, "Well? Where is he?"  
  
As if on cue, Jim Hawkins came from below deck, followed by Dr. Doppler. Both had small bags, similar in size to Raymond's.   
  
"Ready to go, Mr. Hawkins?" Eigram asked.  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
"Very good."  
  
Raymond disregarded Jim and instead focused his eyes on the small black bag Doppler had. "Where are you off to, doctor?"  
  
"I'm going with you."  
  
"No."  
  
"No?"  
  
"Obviously you don't understand me. Let me make it clearer: absolutely, positively, not in a million years, hell, hell, hell, hell no."  
  
Doppler's look was indignant. "But--"  
  
Eigram stepped in before the two could come at odds again. After all, their last argument had brought out the absolute worst in Delbert. "Doctor, if you don't mind, I should require your assistance here. Jim and Raymond will get her back quickly and safely, I assure you."  
  
"Besides, you'd just slow us down," Raymond said, giving Doppler a taunting look, "It's bad enough we're heading into hostile territory."  
  
Eigram shot Raymond a look, but it hardly wiped the self-satisfied grin Raymond had from insulting his arch-nemesis. The expression on Doppler's face was a conflicted one, as if he were trying to decide whether or not to continue the verbal match. The feline captain watched the doctor clench and unclench his fist a few times, hoping the astronomer wasn't thinking about dealing blows right there and then. After all, Raymond was easily twice his size and had quite a hot temper--there wouldn't be enough medical supplies on all three ships to repair the damage, should Raymond decide to pound him. When Delbert finally relaxed a bit, Eigram was more than a little relieved. "If you really need me, Captain Eigram," the Canian spoke, his jaw slightly clenched as he realigned his spectacles on the bridge of his nose, "and if you think it will speed up Amelia's safe return, I'll stay."  
  
"I do," Eigram sighed. He turned toward Raymond, who was already heading for his longboat. "Now why can't you be reasonable like that?"  
  
Raymond glared at him with a look so fierce, one might think that his dark brown eyes might bore a large, ugly hole in Eigram's head, right between the eyes. "We'll be back shortly," he barked, "See that you're in one piece when we return."  
  
"See that you're in one piece when you get here."  
  
Jim threw his bag into the longboat, then jumped in after him. "Don't worry, Doc," he said, "We'll bring the captain back. She'll be fine."  
  
Delbert just nodded. *I sincerely hope you're right, Jim.* "Be careful. Your mother would go nuts if anything happened to you."  
  
"Hey," Jim smiled, shrugging nonchalantly, "It's me." He laughed as Doppler shook his head, as if to say, "Yeah, that's what I'm worried about."  
  
Raymond untied the ropes that held the longboat in place and jumped in as the boat began to lower. Jim gave a brief salute to Eigram and Delbert, and the two rescuers were suddenly gone, speeding off into the etherium.  
  
*********  
  
When last Jim checked, three days was 72 hours. *Then why the hell does it feel like it's been ten times that long?* Jim sighed as he ate out of his ration pack. Being that his mom once owned an inn, Jim was used to home cooking, and good cooking at that. Thus the cold, hard, and sometimes crusty food that the military grade rations had to offer were less than appetizing. He found himself crushing what seemed to be a cracker (or very, very flat, stale bread, it could easily be either) into small, miniscule bits. He had finished the entree, but couldn't bring himself to eat the side dish, with was a sort of bright orange vegetable mush with a very unusual, and not overly pleasant smell. He and Raymond hadn't talked in over 12 hours, so the only sounds in the entire boat were that of Raymond checking their position on the navigation console and the incessant sound of Jim pummeling the cracker and/or bread. Crunch, crunch, crunch...  
  
"MUST you keep doing that?" Raymond suddenly turned on Jim.  
  
Jim shrugged. Crunch, crunch. "I'll stop."  
  
"You'd best."  
  
Crunch.  
  
Raymond gave him a look.  
  
"I'm done, I swear," Jim said, smirking to himself. *I really hope there's something crunchy with dinner.* He picked himself up off the small seat he was in and pulled his jacket closer around him. The etherium in this area seemed to be getting colder by the day, and Jim wanted nothing more than to find Amelia and get back to a nice warm bunk. He shivered slightly, hoping that whatever godforsaken planet they were landing on, it was warmer than being out here. He was about to head to the back of the boat and check the small sail on the back, when he heard Raymond let out a triumphant "Ha!" Jim turned around to see a planet to the far right of him, a fairly small mass of swirling green and brown. It was surrounded by two moons, and was orbiting a large, red sun.   
  
"There it is," Raymond said, "Amelia's on that planet."  
  
Jim was relieved to see it. Finally, they would do something other than sit and watch consoles all day. Finally, he would have some company other than Captain "Stick-up-the-butt."  
  
Raymond increased the longboat's speed, heading toward the planet as fast as he could force the vessel to go. Within an hour's time, they were just outside of orbit. He slowed his speed and began to descend. Jim scanned the surface as they dropped altitude, a pit of dread in his stomach. The place was covered in forest. It would take DAYS to find her. Weeks, even. About fifty miles or so from the land they were currently above, Jim could just make out a clay-colored building.  
  
"Uh, Captain..."  
  
"What?" Raymond asked, only half-concentrating on his counterpart.  
  
"There's a..."  
  
Whatever it was Jim saw, it apparently didn't like the idea of having a foreign vessel wander into it's space. The small longboat was soon surrounded in laser fire. Raymond raced furiously to the surface, trying to keep their only way off the planet in working condition. They moved as far away from the building as they could, ducking into the trees to avoid being seen. After a few minutes, Raymond managed to drop the longboat down in a very small clearing, missing a large group of tall black trees by only two of three feet. Jim jumped out of the boat onto the ground, which was covered by a soft, bright green lichen of some sort. He made one pass around the boat, surveying the damage, which was minimal, minus the fact that one stray shot had stripped the paint and finish off of the front starboard side.  
  
"Captain Eigram's going to be pretty angry when he finds out what you did to his boat," Jim said.  
  
"To hell with him and his damn boat," Raymond said, grabbing his satchel, "Let's get moving. There's no telling where Amelia is." He began heading into the forest, not noticing or caring if Jim was following. Jim had to keep a brisk jog to stay with the older man, who took impossibly long strides through the forest undergrowth. Raymond climbed over fallen branches, trudged through muddy puddles, and cut away thorny vines with his knife, all the while not speaking a word to Jim. They had gone 15 minutes without conversation-- which was truly fine with Jim-- until Raymond began to grumble about the impossible heat of the planet's midday. The captain began stripping off layer after layer of clothing: blue jacket, gray vest, white tunic, until all he was left in was a white undershirt, heavy brown pants, and shin-length black leather boots. Jim couldn't resist the urge himself, but kept his tunic on to avoid getting scratched by the overly abundant undergrowth. Raymond stopped about a half a mile after the spot where he removed his last article of clothing, and knelt under the shade of a bright green tree with large, broad leaves, about four feet long and three in width. He pulled his canteen of water out and took a long drink. He swallowed, then wiped the remaining liquid off his lips with the back of his hand. Jim sat on the ground and leaned again the trunk, taking a drink from his own water supply and dumping a small quantity over his head. He reveled in the water's coolness as it dripped down his face, neck, and back. Raymond took another drink, then laughed to himself, "This planet's a bitch."  
  
"I'd say so," Jim sighed, wiping his forehead with his discarded jacket.  
  
"And to think, that damned doctor wanted to come. Couldn't you just imagine that? Ha! I think he would have been dead a mile back."  
  
Jim glared at him. "What makes you say that?"  
  
Raymond scoffed. "Please, cadet. He's not exactly...cut out for this. This is man's work."  
  
"He IS a man."  
  
"Whatever you say," Raymond took one last drink before putting the cap back on his canteen.  
  
"What the hell is your problem, anyway?" Jim spoke, his eyes narrowing at his superior officer.  
  
"I know you're not talking to your captain like that," Raymond said, his voice low, "You forget---you're on a field training assignment. The academy frowns upon cadets who can't obey orders." He stood and began to head back into the depths of the forest vines.  
  
"Sorry, sir," Jim scowled, not the least bit sorry, "But Doc is a friend of mine. You sound like such a jealous jerk when you talk about him." Jim stood and trailed behind the larger man.  
  
"I am not jealous, cadet," Raymond grumbled, cutting through a particularly ugly bunch of brown and green vines, "Let's make that perfectly clear. I'm confused as hell. I'm more handsome, more debonair, and I have a better job..."  
  
Jim rolled his eyes. *He's going to brag now, isn't he?*  
  
"Amelia's such an amazing woman. She's deserves an amazing man. Someone romantic, someone good-looking. Strong. Witty. She's so perfect, and I think she deserves someone perfect."  
  
*Oh, and I'll bet you mean you, right? Heh, that's one strike against you buddy, you're delusional.*  
  
"That Doppler guy is just holding her back....Do you think maybe she's seeing him out of pity? Ahhh, that must be it," he gave himself a reassuring grin.  
  
"Look," Jim sighed, "All you've done since this voyage started is sling insults about him or at him. She's not seeing him out of pity. She loves him. And just because you don't get it doesn't mean it's not so. Damn."  
  
Raymond looked back at Jim who ran his fingers through his hair, frustrated with the older man's arrogance. "Let's keep moving," the captain barked, "We still have to find her and this weather is killing me. The sooner we get off this rock, the better off we'll be."  
  
Jim sighed with relief. *Well at least he's dropping the whole 'Amelia' thing.* The silence that followed was so palpable, you could cut it with a knife. Jim knew that inside, Raymond was probably fuming from being told off by a "lowly cadet." Jim knew that inside, he didn't care. He had had all the foolishness he could take with Raymond, and now he just wanted to find Amelia, leave this planet, and take a cool shower. They continued their trek until the sun was beginning to dip low in the sky and dusk was settling all around them. The sky that was visible through the heavy forest canopy was a blood red, probably a direct result of the planet's red giant sun. Raymond was about to quit and set up camp for the night when he heard it.  
  
"What the hell are you doing back there, cadet?" he turned toward Jim.  
  
"I didn't do anything," Jim shot back.  
  
"Then what was all that noice I heard?" he asked, turning back to the direction he was originally facing.  
  
*Your tiny brain rattling in your big head?* "Beats me."  
  
The captain stood still, listening for the rustling sound he could have sworn he heard. He slowly turned a circle, observing the forest ahead of him as he turned...90 degrees, 180, to face Jim again, 270 deg---  
  
BAM!  
  
The alien leapt from the forest so quickly that neither Jim nor Raymond saw it until it was well on top of Raymond. The creature was fairly massive, a match for Raymond's body weight easily. Though the captain's arms were far more muscular, the assailant had four of them, so it didn't shock Jim that the alien had managed to wrestle a 250 pound man to the ground. They were struggling with one another, Raymond trying to get a good stab at the alien's face with his hand knife, while the alien tried to cock his pistol just long enough to put a shot in the other's temple. Jim pulled out his pistol and tried to aim at the four armed creature, but the two were constantly moving, and his overall inexperience with weaponry meant he couldn't quite get a clear shot. He was just about to jump into the fray himself, when he felt something hit him from behind. Hard. As Jim hit the ground face first, he managed to catch a glimpse of the first assailant's counterpart, who was a smaller alien that Jim recognized as the same species as one of the riggers back on the Treasure Planet journey. When he tried to stand back up, Jim found a sword pointed at his jawline, as the alien's beady little eyes watched him pensively from their place inside his throat. Meanwhile, Raymond was beginning to lose his fight with the large tetrapod. Slowly, Jim began to reach for his knife, which was in his left boot. He moved slowly, hoping the lizardlike alien threatening him wouldn't notice.  
  
He did notice.  
  
The sting of the blade against his cheek shocked him more at first than it actually hurt him, and Jim had to take a few seconds to recover.   
  
"Don't move or ya'll get worse," the alien growled, "I'll cut ya trachea right out if I haf ta."  
  
Jim let the warm blood fall down his cheek unchecked as he turned his head to see how the captain was faring. A shot went off from the alien's gun, striking Raymond in the upper leg. The officer let out a cry of pain, trying desperately to throw the other man off of him. Jim watched in horror as the four-armed aggressor managed to overpower Raymond just long enough to wrench the knife out of his hand. The attacker poised his gun to Raymond's head. Jim watched as the lower right arm that held the gun flexed slightly as it reached for the trigger.  
  
And suddenly, that arm was on the ground.  
  
Turns out a rifle packs a powerful punch if you aim it just right at a small joint.  
  
The alien holding Jim captive was about to make a run for it, but was shot in the back with the same weapon that claimed one of his friend's lower arms. Jim looked up into the forest to see Amelia, still cocking a large rifle at the four-armed man.  
  
"Get up and I'll blow more than your arm off," she sneered, approaching the attacker, who was gripping the stump where his arm had once been. The alien didn't move, just stared at her nervously. Amelia crept over to Raymond, not taking her eyes off of the alien once as she helped the other captain into a sitting position.   
  
"Are you alright, captain?" she asked Raymond, surveying him quickly.  
  
"Oh, just frickin' great."  
  
The alien took this slight moment to try and lunge at Amelia. Seeing this out of the corner of her eye, she reacted as quickly as her feline instincts and years of military training allowed her. Needless to say, the missing arm soon became the least of the alien's problems, for he soon found himself with a large hole in his stomach. Amelia looked over the two dead pirates once, then turned to her "rescuers."   
  
"And here I thought they'd finally given up on me," she nodded to the carcasses. "I can't tell you how pleased I am to see you two."  
  
"The feeling's mutual, Amelia," Raymond said, trying to stand, "I was worried about you."  
  
Amelia shrugged the sentiment off. "I trust you have a longboat nearby?"  
  
"About 20 miles from here," Jim said.  
  
"Good job, men," Amelia smirked, "Now let's get off this damned rock." She helped Raymond to his feet, then she and Jim helped him along the route back, watching the older man limp heavily on his wounded leg. When they had made it back to the longboat, Amelia climbed in an sat at controls, but not before noticing the ruined paint job on the starboard side.  
  
"That's a horrible landing you made there," she commented, "I hope the ship is alright."  
  
"That wasn't the landing," Jim spoke up, "We were fired at."  
  
Amelia's expression turned dark as she rounded on Raymond. "You let yourself be SEEN?"  
  
"Not intentionally," he bit back, "I didn't see the headquarters until it was too late."  
  
"Good god man! What did you think was down here? A damn circus? I told you I was being pursued in my communication! I gathered that you'd get I was being pursued by BAD people."  
  
"Your communication was muddled, and besides, how can you see anything in this damn area? It's overgrown with weeds!"  
  
"Three years of academy training! Three! First-years know that when attempting a rescue or reconnaissance you never, NEVER let yourself be seen!"  
  
"Alright! So they know we're here! How are we getting off?"  
  
"We'll have to make a run for it," Amelia grimaced, "Or they'll just send ground forces to trap us anyway." She powered up the longboat and turned to Jim. "Well Mister Hawkins, it seems as if we're going to have to get out of here as fast as possible. You navigate, I'll work the helm. Hold on to your briches men, we may be in for an ass-kicking."  
  
******************  
  
They had been fired at twice, once going in, and once coming out. Add that to the long trek through the sweltering heat, and the fight that likely just got him a nice facial scar, and Jim was actually relieved to have nothing to do as they neared the Legacy. The entire small armada was only a half a day away, and he simply couldn't wait to arrive. Raymond had managed to patch up his wound rather nicely, and was currently sleeping in a corner of the boat, snoring loudly enough to wake every Orcus Galacticus pod for 300 parsecs. Amelia was studying the navigation console intently, trying to stay clear of any etherium irregularities while plotting the shortest course to their destination. Jim watched her out of the corner of his eye while he ate his last ration pack and longed for a hot shower and a large roast beast sandwich. He absentmindedly scratched the side of his face, where his cut was just beginning to heal into a very long, very itchy scab.  
  
"Don't scratch it, you'll scar it," Amelia said, her eyes not leaving the console.  
  
"It's itchy," he mumbled.  
  
"You sound like a three-year-old, Mister Hawkins," Amelia smirked.  
  
"You sound like an old mother," Jim retorted. Amelia threw him a look. "I mean that respectfully...ma'am."  
  
She gave a short nod. "I'm sure." She sat down across from Jim and drank a bit of water. "I truly can't wait to take a bath and have a long rest in my bed alone," she said, staring out into the passing etherium. Jim smiled inwardly. He knew very well that Doppler would likely spend all night HANGING off of her, so he doubted she'd get much sleep. He, however, kept the whole idea to himself. He figured the surprise of seeing him unexpectedly would add to the lovers' reunion, and Jim figured that Doc deserved his poignant moment. If only he could be there when Doppler first saw her--he was sure the look on his face would be priceless...and blackmail enough to last him awhile.  
  
*****************  
  
Most of the crewmembers were asleep by the time the travelers returned to the ships. Standing on the Legacy's main deck, Eigram gladly welcomed the three weary voyagers back.  
  
"Amelia," he said, extending his hand to the female feline, "A pleasure to see you again."  
  
She took his hand and shook it. "What brings you out here?" she asked.  
  
"I was sent by Admiral Plovk to retrieve the Nefarious--we stumbled upon you guys shortly afterwards."  
  
"Thank god for that."  
  
Eigram smiled at her. He watched Raymond pull himself out of the longboat, limping as he made his way over to himself and Amelia.  
  
"I trust you didn't screw anything up too bad," Raymond regarded Eigram.  
  
"No. Actually, the repairs to the Legacy are coming along very well. We should be able to get underway again in three days."  
  
"Good," Amelia said, "I suggest you get some rest gents. I've got quite a story to tell. Those pirates are up to no good."  
  
"It can wait until morning. We can't leave here just yet anyway," Eigram said, "In the meantime, I have something I've been meaning to give to you for weeks now."  
  
"Oh?" Amelia raised her right eyebrow in question, "What's that?"  
  
Eigram grinned. "Follow me."  
  
He led Amelia up to her stateroom, with Raymond in tow. Amelia's heart almost wrenched to a stop in shock as he opened the door.  
  
****************  
  
He had been poring over astronomical data for over four hours now. All of his charts were spread out on Amelia's usually neat desk in such a way that likely would have frustrated her badly, given it's sheer disarray. He had found that he wasn't the least bit tired, and that working on his scientific experiments tended to distract him from worrying about Amelia. He was standing over a particular map of the Lagoon Nebula when the door to the stateroom swung open quietly. For a moment, he ignored the persons entering, as it was likely Turgevny, there to check up on him. As he made a quick glance to regard the first mate's presence, however, his eyes met a far different sight.   
  
Standing there, cut, bruised, ragged, but totally beautiful was Amelia.  
  
Doppler stood still for a moment, as if the whole thing were a massive illusion, and that by moving, he'd somehow destroy that illusion. In the brief second following that moment, however, he found himself rushing to her, sweeping her into a large, full body hug. She held him tightly in return for a second, and he was glad she was occupied; it gave him time enough to choke back the tears of utter elation he was feeling. If his brain were properly functioning at that moment, he may have remembered that she didn't like public displays of affection, especially in front of her crew, but it wasn't, so he pulled her into a long, hard kiss.  
  
Eigram chuckled a little at the sight. Between the doctor squeezing her so tightly and kissing her so fervently, he was sure Amelia would soon run out of breath. He saw Raymond about to interrupt the exchange, but Eigram quickly kicked him in the shin.  
  
Amelia pulled away first, panting and a little flustered. She didn't blush, but she was thankful that no one she had to preside over was present. "How...?"  
  
"I enlisted his help," Eigram said. He turned toward Raymond, who was rubbing his shin and mouthing foul names at Eigram. "Anyway," the male feline grinned, "It's getting late, and I really should see to it that Raymond here gets some medical attention. Have a good evening, captain, doctor." As Raymond once more opened his mouth to comment, Eigram clapped a hand over his mouth and dragged him out of the stateroom, closing the door behind him. He had gotten about ten feet away when the stateroom door opened again, and Amelia poked her head out of it.  
  
"Captain," she said to Eigram, "I request that you notify me of any business only if it's an emergency. I'll be...occupied...for the rest of the night."  
  
"Aye, ma'am."  
  
She nodded to him and shut the door. Eigram listened just long enough to hear her lock it tight behind her. He laughed to himself, thinking of Doppler.   
  
*Lucky man.*  
  
****************  
  
She had been asleep for about thirty minutes, but it was a light sleep, however relaxing it was to be back in her own bed after a very short, but very nice shower. Thus being that she was sleeping lightly, she could easily feel she was being watched. She opened one green eye, which, feline in nature, quickly adapted to the darkness of the room and revealed that in fact she WAS being watched, if only by her bed companion. Opening both eyes, she yawned and looked Delbert straight in the eyes.  
  
"You're still awake?" she asked, "You're usually out cold after an evening like this."  
  
He shrugged. "Usually."  
  
She studied his face for a moment. He was visibly exhausted, whether from the whole voyage or just the night's "events" she couldn't tell, but regardless, he was fighting sleep.  
  
"You're exhausted, dear. Go to sleep."  
  
He disregarded the "order" and instead pulled her closer to him, holding her around the waist, the length of her back pressed up against his chest. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, and she could feel his warm breath against her skin. "I can't sleep," he muttered into her shoulder.  
  
"Is that your way of telling me you want to go at it again?" she cocked and eyebrow at him.  
  
He laughed. "No! I don't think I have enough of anything in me that isn't too tired to even think about it."  
  
"So why can't you sleep if you're so damned tired?"  
  
He sighed, his lips brushing her collar briefly. "It's...hard to explain."  
  
"Try me," she said, rolling his over onto his back. She sat on the bed next to him and watched his facial expression.  
  
"I guess..." he stopped and rethought his sentence, "It's like I have this fear that if I fall asleep, you'll be gone again in the morning. Like this is some crazy dream."  
  
She shook her head. "Well for one, let me tell you that if ALL your dreams were like tonight, I totally envy you and your sleep thoughts. Really though, I'll be here in the morning. It's a ridiculous fear to have."  
  
He blushed slightly. "I guess...It's just...For the last few weeks, I thought you were dead. And now you're here. And if there's any chance that I'll wake up tomorrow and all that would be gone, I'd just as soon never sleep again."  
  
She smiled. *How does a man with so many slips of the tongue find such romantic things to say?*  
  
"They told you I was dead?"  
  
He nodded. "It's like having your heart torn out and stomped on, Amelia. It really is."  
  
She reached out and caressed his cheek. "Poor dear. But I'm alive and well, and I promise I'll be here in the morning. Please sleep."  
  
He conceded, leaning all the way back into the pillows. She lay down next to him, satisfied that she had coaxed him to sleep. Suddenly, he sat up.  
  
"Maybe in the morning?" he asked.  
  
"'Maybe in the morning' what?"  
  
"We could...uh...'go at it' again."  
  
She laughed into her pillow and thrust Delbert back into the pillows, face down. "Go to sleep," she mumbled.  
  
He pulled her close to him, watching her doze off again. He lay there, reveling in her scent, her touch, and cried quiet tears of joy until he fell asleep.  
  
  
To be continued...  
  
Ok...so Doppler and Amelia finally get to see each other for the first time since Ch. 1! Hope you enjoyed...I couldn't wait to write this part (it took me 1/20 of the time it took me to write the rest .;;). Anyways, r/r and let me know what you thought!  
  
Aloha,  
J. 


	12. Chapter 12

Ch. 12  
  
Disclaimer the twelveth: Uh, yeah, you know.  
  
Despite the fact that she was still a little tired and a whole lot sore and bruised, Amelia awoke at her normal morning hour, the same time of day that first greeted her since her days in the academy. Despite the fact that she could have easily dozed away a good two or three more hours, the military woman inside of her kept nagging away at her, telling her to get her "sorry maggot butt" out of bed. She sat up and threw the covers off of her, hissing slightly as her warm, bare skin came in contact with the cooler air of the room. She fought the urge to burrow back under the blankets and dragged herself into her private bathroom, careful to be as quiet as possible, so as not to wake her sleeping companion. She turned on a shower, letting the water heat up to a comfortable temperature, and jumped in. She just stood there for a moment, reveling in the warm temperature of the water, and reflecting upon the meeting she would undoubtedly have to call with the two other captains later that day. She had learned quite a bit about her captors and the plans they had in store for the galaxy, and she felt it was going to take a REALLY hot shower and a REALLY strong coffee to get her through all the information. She bathed quickly, and emerged from the bathroom, a trail of steam following her. On her way back into the room, she nearly tripped over Doppler's clothing, which lay discarded quite haphazardly on the floor.  
*Dammit, Delbert, you slob.*  
She picked up the garments, and folded each one quickly, laying them on a rich blue velour chair in the corner of the room. She headed to her dark wood wardrobe and pulled out a clean uniform. She had just about finished dressing when she heard movement coming from the bed. She cast a glance back to her rumpled, unmade bed (a sight which made her cringe, but she couldn't very well make it right now, could she?) to see Delbert toss once, twice, and a third time for good measure until finally getting comfortable once more. In the process, he had managed to flail his arm over the bedside table, knocking over a small wooden box, her uniform hat, and his glasses.  
  
*God, he's a mess even in his sleep,* she chuckled to herself.  
  
She picked up her hat and the box and set them back onto their rightful place on her table. She then stooped to get his glasses, taking a moment to observe the lenses and be sure that they weren't damaged. She brushed a bit of dust off of them and set them back on the table, well away from where he might have a chance to knock them over again. She regarded him a second time, now quietly slumbering in the position he had so painstakingly chosen, lying on his stomach, right arm tucked under his pillow, left arm stretched straight out toward the other side of the bed, as if somehow reserving the spot for her for when she chose to return. His legs were in a vicious tangle with the blankets now, and she suspected a good deal of her crisp white sheets were now in that tangled knot. She smiled inwardly as she moved to detangle him. She moved slowly and deliberately, pulling the bedcovers from the gigantic heap he had somehow formed, and placing them back over him, sheltering his unclothed back from the chilled air. She knelt over the bedside to kiss his brow gently, and whispered in his ear, "Make my bed when you wake up." He shifted slightly, exhaled deeply, then returned to his still slumber. She ran her hand down his arm, all the way down past his "abnormally thin wrist" to his hand. She brought his palm to her lips and kissed it once, wishing she were still asleep next to him, and wishing even more that she could take him up on his suggestion for another round of lovemaking. Still, duty called. She squeezed his hand and headed for the door. *Ten drubloons says he won't make that bed.*  
  
***********************  
Delbert woke to an empty bed, which he was expecting anyway. Everytime he had gone with her on a particularly long trip, she was always up and on the deck long before he even half awoke. But given the line of recent events, his eyes flew around the room, searching for something, anything, that would reveal to him that she was really in fact still here and the whole previous night wasn't just some wonderful-- TERRIFICALLY wonderful dream. He scanned the room from ceiling to floor, past her dark, hand carved wardrobe, over her small, matching dresser with the opulent mirror, all the way to the blue chair in the corner. He smiled broadly when he saw his clothes folded neatly on the seat--he had discarded them in his haste last night and left them lying on the floor neglected; no doubt Amelia saw them and couldn't bear to leave her room without seeing it spotless. He settled back down into the pillows, his heart rate slowing now that he knew that his love was here, and here to stay. He threw a glance out of the large window in her room-- the bluish etherium was floating outside his window, looking still and calm as they lay stagnant in space. Amelia was probably cooped up inside a stateroom right now instead of enjoying the peaceful "weather"; after they had finished with their most pressing "needs" last night, she had laid sleepily in his arms, mumbling about having to speak with the other captains and hoping Raymond would see fit to show up at a reasonable hour. She had then fallen asleep for the first time, and Delbert had lay there, watching her dream. He remembered how gorgeous she had looked last night, with the etherium's light casting an almost angelic glow over her face; since she was asleep, he could take time to let his mind reel over everything, all the emotions involved in the "loss" of Amelia. He had then remembered the day she set out for this whole infernal journey, a thought which in turn reminded him of his failed proposal to her. He had remembered that he still had her ring on him, in the pocket of his vest, and was contemplating waking her and asking her then, but it was late, and she looked so splendid, lying there asleep.   
He smiled to himself as he recalled her waking just a minute or so later, ordering him to sleep or else. *I guess it's a good thing that I didn't go for the ring then. She would have woken up to see me sifting through my clothes for it, and that would have totally ruined the element of surprise. And what--*  
He stopped.  
*Oh DAMN...!*  
Pulling the sheets around him subconsciously, he leapt out of bed (quite literally) and bounded over to his folded clothes. *If she folded the vest...then...*  
He threw the neatly folded pants and shirt back onto the floor, and his jacket soon joined it, as he rummaged through his small pile of things, searching frantically for the beige vest. It was nowhere to be found.  
*Oh my god!* he began pacing back and forth, *How could this happen? All this time, all my preparations, worrying...and here it's ruined because I couldn't take TWO SECONDS of consideration! Now Amelia probably knows all about it, and all thanks to my over-zealousness for some s--*  
In all his frenetic circle-turning, Delbert failed to realize that the rather large sheets he was holding were becoming more and more progressively tangled around his moving legs until--WHAM! he hit the ground face first.   
*Well this is good,* he thought wryly, *Let's add insult to injury.* He began to pick himself up off the floor when he spotted it.  
Under the bed, in a small heap, was his elusive vest.  
How it got under there, he would never know, but Delbert Doppler was silently thanking his lucky stars that the article of clothing had found its way under the bed, where Amelia hadn't bothered to look for it, and thus hadn't folded it.   
His secret was safe.  
  
*****************  
"So there you have it gents," Amelia spoke, leaning back in her chair, "That's all I know about our attackers."  
Eigram peered at her from over the tea cup he was drinking from. He put down the fragile white china cup that had been handcrafted on his homeworld and let out a low whistle. "I must say, you did get quite a bit of information."  
"Quite a wonderful job, Amelia," Raymond nodded at her, "Not that I would expect anything less from you."  
"So basically," Eigram tried to review, "This group wants to take over the empire. They have some allies in this system, and if Carysa makes it back to Nexus VII faster than we do, Carysa will be crowned queen, then she'll see that all of that planet's allies will join their cause, if unwillingly. In the process, the pirates have placed an "inside man" in the royal palace to pose a threat to the Queen of the empire herself. So therefore we have to return Ahai to Nexus VII, warn the Queen and apprehend the fugitive amongst her staff, AND get together a fleet at Cresentia to counter the attacks that apparently will take place on quite a few systems from here to god knows where. Am I understanding you correctly, captain?"  
"Yes," Amelia said, "I realize it's a daunting task. It's likely we'll have to split up once we have the Legacy up and running. It's the only way we'll be able to do all that before the rogues decide to attack."  
"Split up?" Raymond asked, "I don't think that's wise, dear."  
Amelia shot him a look that clearly said, 'If you ever call me "dear" again, I swear I'll pop your eyeballs right out of your head with my bare hands.' "We don't have much of a choice I'm afraid. I found out the majority of this information when I stumbled upon their frequency while trying to get in contact with you for a rescue. That was a week ago. They may already be proceeding with the plan."  
Eigram squeezed his eyes shut in thought, and his stateroom went silent for a few moments. The male feline let out a great sigh, then turned toward the other two captains. "Alright. We should have the Legacy moving independently in two days or less. I'll have the engineering crews work double shifts. When the ship is repaired, I think Raymond's ship should be the one to return to Cresentia. It's not in great shape, but it'll probably make the trip a lot easier than the Legacy can manage right now. I'll take the prince back to Nexus VII on my ship, being that I'm the only one with a fully operational defense system. Amelia, you should take the Legacy to Her Majesty's homeworld; it's a little bit of a shorter distance there than to either of our destinations and I'm sure the Legacy could handle the shortest trip."  
Amelia nodded slowly in agreeance. "Yes; that's a good plan, Eigram. We'll leave as soon as repairs to my ship are finished."  
Raymond shifted in his sheet uncomfortably, mumbling to himself.  
"Is there a problem, Raymond?" Eigram asked, reaching for his tea again, "Uncomfortable?"  
"Yes," he spat, "While you were up here sitting on your ass, I was down on that raging inferno of hell getting shot in the leg. So forgive me if I'm in a tiny bit of blinding, searing pain. Not to mention, this whole voyage has been one disaster after another. I think splitting up is going to get us all killed."   
"Maybe so," Amelia said, "But I don't see any other way. Surely you aren't AFRAID?"  
Raymond scoffed as he sat up tall in his chair, "Honestly. Me?"  
"Very well then, stop complaining," Amelia smirked, standing up from her chair, "I'm going to notify my engineering crew of the pressing need to get us up and running again."  
Eigram also stood. "I shall do the same with mine. We can meet up again tomorrow morning."  
Raymond stood awkwardly and followed the two felines as they left the stateroom. Eigram proceeded to his lower deck, and Amelia began to head for her own ship. She was just about to climb onto the extension ramp leading to it when a large, firm hand gripped her shoulder. She turned to see Raymond standing there, showing off a large smile, white teeth flashing. "Join me for lunch, Amelia."  
Amelia shrugged out from under his grip. "I have plans."  
"Cancel them."  
"I can't."  
"Sure you can."  
"Alright then. I won't."  
Raymond frowned. "After I go to all the trouble of rescuing you, this is the thanks I get?"  
"As I do recall, *I* saved YOU."  
"Still..."  
"Look," she interrupted him, "I have to notify my crew about speeding up repairs. After that I have meal plans with the doctor, whom I haven't shared a meal with in well over a month."  
She climbed onto the ramp and crossed over to her deck, with Raymond tagging along behind her closely. "You haven't ever shared a meal with me."  
"I just had breakfast with you in Eigram's stateroom," Amelia said, exasperated, "Were you not there for that whole conference?"  
"That doesn't count!" Raymond insisted with a wave of the hand, "I meant an informal meal."  
Amelia stood silent a moment, just staring at him. "Hmm, you know, you're right."  
Raymond grinned.  
"Too bad really. I'll tell you what--I'll schedule a lunch with you on your iguana's 30th birthday. We'll all dine together-- you, me, and that nasty reptilian-- it'll be splendid."  
Raymond regarded her, confused. "Don't you mean thirteenth? They don't live to be thirty."  
"Oh really?" Amelia said, knowing full well that the pet would be pushing up daisies before his 30th year, "Well that's a shame; I was REALLY looking forward to our day out, but if it wasn't meant to be, it wasn't meant to be. You know---'That's how the cookie crumbles' and all that jazz. Anyway I have a rather lovely menu of food waiting for me along with an equally lovely Canian date. Now if you'll excuse me." She pushed past Raymond and headed for the desks below. Raymond stood there a minute, still not fathoming why Amelia, or any woman for that fact would reject him...and so many times.   
**************  
Delbert Doppler emerged on the deck just twenty minutes after dressing, with a sinking feeling that he was forgetting something. The thought nagged at the back of his head as he headed toward the main deck, where he hoped to get word on how much longer Amelia's meeting would last--after all, he was hoping to maybe share a quiet lunch with her. He was about to descend the stairs down to the deck when he saw Amelia and Raymond, apparently in the middle of a banter. He couldn't make out what she was saying over the loud noises of the repair crews nearby, but from the look on her face, she was satisfied by the way the conversation was turning out. He watched as Raymond's face went sour at something she told him, then as the male captain regarded her as she shoved past him and walked toward the bowels of the ship, not turning back once. The look on his face then faded to confused and frustrated, as if he were struggling with some sort of eternal problem. Doppler watched him as he mumbled to himself, and laughed at the larger man's stubbornness. Raymond took that moment, however, to look up and see the doctor on the bridge above him, chuckling at his plight.  
"Something funny, Doppler?" Raymond barked, interrupting the doctor's laugh.  
"Nothing, nothing," Delbert said, waving a hand in the air nonchalantly, "The meeting's over then?"  
Raymond grunted in reply with a short nod.  
"Splendid. Now where is Amelia off to?"  
"Engineering."  
"Over something that was said this morning?"  
"That's none of your concern," Raymond said loftily, "You don't look like a ranking officer to me. Keep your nose on your face, civilian."  
Raymond had been making comments like such the whole trip, and though they had all seemed to rub Delbert the wrong way, the Canian was just in such a good mood this morning that he smiled broadly. "Well, didn't we have a bad evening last night."  
"I was shot in the leg you ignoramus," Raymond growled, "You try sleeping with a gaping laser wound in your thigh and you tell me how nice your evening is. Here, I'll blow a hole in your quadriceps right now." He reached for his pistol, then sighed in frustration when he noticed he didn't have it on him.  
"I believe you, sir, and I truly feel for you now. I would have shown you more sympathy last night, but you know how it is; I was FAR too busy having the most wonderful, blissful midnight romp I've ever had in my life. Believe me, you'd put off giving some arrogant captain your fondest sympathies if you had coming what I did. So now that the lovely sex is over, let me give you my most sincere condolences." With that said, Doppler turned on his heel and re-entered Amelia's stateroom, determined to wait for her there.  
Meanwhile, Raymond limped angrily back to his own vessel, trying to control his rising blood pressure. "I HATE that man."  
*******************  
Eigram was true to his word, and the Legacy was capable of flight in only two days. The three captains all met on board the Nefarious on that second morning, conversing quietly on the massive bridge, the cold wind of the etherium whipping around them. Delbert was standing next to B.E.N. on the main deck of the same ship, going over star charts and navigational information with the Nefarious' chief navigator. There was a good possibility that the Nefarious could run into the same turbulence and storms that the Nautilus had faced coming in, so Doppler wanted to see that the ship was aware of the latest etherium "weather." *Not that I care what happens to Raymond, but still.* He had just finished going over what he believed to be the fastest way back to Cresentia (if a tad risky) with the lieutenant when the captains' discussion broke up. Delbert offered his lover a smile as she approached him.  
"Everything set, captain?"  
"Almost, doctor. There's a small matter which I'd like to discuss with you."  
Shrugging, Delbert pulled himself away from the charts and followed her back to the Nefarious' galley, where they could talk privately. Amelia leaned up against one of the long, black tables and looked straight into his eyes. Delbert glanced back.  
"Well my dear, what's wrong? Surely it must be pressing; I'd have thought we'd be boarding the Legacy by now, waiting to depart."  
She smiled. "Nothing's wrong, really."  
"Oh? Well, why don't we head over to your ship and we'll discuss whatever it is you'd like to say--this galley gives me the creeps," Delbert said with a shiver. He was concerned with good reason--the galley was dark, with crimson walls and ominous-looking cutlery hanging on the wall. A butchered meat cut hung from the ceiling, preserved in salt.  
"I would, but...You won't be coming on board the Legacy."  
Delbert blinked in confusion. "What?"  
"You've been asked to join the Nefarious."  
"What--why?"  
"They're heading through some ugly space---you know that."  
"I was just giving their navigator all the pointers he'll need."  
"Still, it's much better to have an experienced astrophysicist on your hands."  
"What about you?"  
She smiled again. "Oh come now. You know perfectly well that once you hit Persona Prime it's smooth sailing. All well-used merchant routes--tried and true."  
"Raymond won't take my advise anyway," he tried a different tack.  
"He may hate you, love, but he's an officer of the Royal Navy. He could get court-martialed for not taking an expert opinion and causing the deaths of some crewmembers. I don't think he's willing to give up a long career to hold his grudge."  
Delbert tried to protest again, but instead sighed in frustration, and began pacing to calm himself, knowing that the brilliant woman in front of him probably had a counter to any excuse he could come up with.  
"Really now, why does this bother you so much? Not Raymond?"  
"Oh screw him," Delbert said, then added, "Sorry."  
Amelia shook her head as if to say "Think nothing of it."  
"What then?"  
He stopped his pacing and faced her, his eyes intense. "I spend weeks, months, longing for you, looking for you, and now, after three and a half days, they want to just take you away from me? They want to send you to some planet, into some palace with a hostile intelligence agent that you don't even know the identity of? And all the while they want me to just sit on my hands and navigate some cocky jackass through some cosmic storms? You could DIE, Amelia. They expect me to just say, 'Hell, it's all right with me'?"  
She kissed him softly, ending his tirade. "Delbert, listen. I've been in much worse situations than this. I've been trained on how to handle these sorts of dealings. I assure you that no harm will come to me. And believe me, I'm not thrilled by us being separated either-- these last few days with you have been just wonderful--but our respective talents are needed in different places. The galaxy's in danger, love. Everything we enjoy living for is threatened. That's why I need you to use your education, your aptitude to help the Nefarious get back and get help before we have a much bigger problem on our hands--a problem which might separate us permanently. No matter how much we both might hate the idea, we have to do it."  
He gazed into her big green eyes that were begging, pleading him to understand. His shoulders drooped and he looked down at the dark galley floor. "You're right."  
"I know. I'm always right," she smirked as it elicited a grin from him as well, "I know you'll do a fantastic job in helping this cause, dear. Eigram recommended you himself."  
"Did he?" he asked, looking up.  
She nodded. "Says you're a very capable man. But then again, I already knew that." She kissed him a second time, wrapping her arms around his neck and allowing him to pull her close. They held the kiss for about a minute or so, then stood for a brief moment, holding each other. Delbert let go first.  
"Promise me you'll be safe."  
"I promise."  
Amelia started out of the galley, heading for the deck. She was about halfway out the door when she turned back to Doppler.  
"I love you."  
"And I, you."  
She beamed for a brief moment, then let her facial expression slip back to that of "The Captain" as she stepped out onto the deck.  
Delbert stood there a moment in the dark, watching the meat cut as it hung from it's small chain, it's reflection blurry in the shiny steel blades hanging off the red walls. His mind was awash with a thousand thoughts.  
He looked at the floor, at the doorway out of which Amelia had departed, and at the floor again. She would likely skin him alive, but...  
He darted out the door and headed for the deck, where Amelia had just stepped off the boarding plank onto the Legacy. He ran to the edge of the Nefarious' hull, and peered off the edge.  
"Amelia!"  
Raymond and a few others stopped, startled by the fact that the Canian had referred to her by her first name. Amelia herself turned around, and regarded the doctor with two raised eyebrows.  
Delbert inhaled one large breath, gathering up enough air so she would most assuredly hear him.  
"Will you marry me?"  
  
To be continued...  
Mwahaha! Whoo hoo! I wrote this instead of studying so--go me. LOL. Anyway...I would have updated sooner, but I've been nice and sick lately, so I've been sleeping away as much time as I could get. But I hoped you enjoyed this chapter anyway...More to come. More love to all my loyal reviewers! You are the best!  
BTW--Katie, "farking" is the damn coolest word I've ever heard.  
Aloha,  
J. 


	13. Chapter 13

Ch. 13  
  
Disclaimer the thirteenth: And now, for your reading pleasure (I hope), another chapter featuring the characters of Disney (the good ones, anyway--you know which ones are mine). :)  
  
The only noises Delbert Doppler could hear were the wind beating the ropes against the mast above him, the nervous giggle of a watching sailor on the Nefarious, and his own pounding heartbeat. As Amelia silently stepped back onto the boarding ramp and crossed back over to Raymond's ship, he was almost sure that his sternum was the only thing keeping the radically pulsing cardiac muscle from flying out of his chest and becoming a beating mass on the spotless deck. He watched her pensively as she approached him.  
  
*Oh, I'm a dead man.*  
  
She came up close to him, her facial expression blank. When she spoke, it was in hushed tones, and much more gentle than he expected it to be.   
  
"What did you say?"  
  
He swallowed. He knew he needed to explain himself and why he had chosen this particular moment to pour his heart out.  
  
"Delbert," she began, "I think you...here...in front of all these people..."  
  
He suddenly found himself very frustrated with the world. He had just called up the courage to do quite possibly the most terrifying thing in his life, and there HAD to be people all around them, watching as if this whole thing were one huge soap opera. It wasn't the fairy-tale proposal he had always dreamed he would give to her, and now she was either angry, or embarrassed, or both. But since he was in a hole anyway...  
  
"I know what I did. And I mean it. Listen," he said quickly, as she tried to interject, "Just listen to me. I've been trying to get this out for so long now. Ever since that night you left. And up until now, fate has taken every opportunity away from me. I know this isn't the best place, or the most romantic one, hell...it's about as far from what I wanted for you as it can possibly be, and I know you deserve better. But I have to get this out...It's been eating away at me for too long now, and I know that my sentiments for you would be the same whether I was alone with you on a romantic evening or standing on this cold deck in front of these people and their captain." He made a sweeping gesture toward the observers with his hand to illustrate his point.  
  
Amelia watched him, not speaking, or frowning, or doing anything for that matter. Her face was expressionless, but there was something in her eyes that persuaded him to keep going, no matter how much the outward stance said "I'm going to destroy you."  
  
He inhaled and exhaled deeply, then began again. "Amelia, I've known and loved you for almost two years now---and they've been the absolute best two years of my entire life. You've brought a certain something to my existence that makes me believe life's truly worth living, and gives me reason to greet each morning, no matter how horrible some of them might start out. You make me happy, keep me honest, and bring out the best in me. You've made me love everything about myself and pushed me to want to become more. You're an amazing woman, and I'm the luckiest man in the universe to have you. There are times when I think you're perfection in womanly form, and I know I can't possibly ever fully deserve you, but for some reason you stay with me, despite my clumsiness, my scatterbrain-ness, my clutter...and for that, I'm grateful. You're my night, my day, my universe, my everything, and I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life feeling the way I already do every time I'm with you. I know you're a private person, and doing this in front of a meddling crowd won't exactly help my case, (a few people snickered at this), but I love and cherish you, and I really can't think of any more true way to prove it to you than to lay my heart on the line in front of them all. I'd shout it to the whole universe if I could--they should know about that I've discovered real treasure in my lifetime-- and it puts Flint to shame. Amelia...will you do me the honor...the pleasure of letting me love you 'til the end of my days?"   
  
The small crowd of the Nefarious' senior officers were almost twitching with excitement as the Canian stooped down onto one knee, ring in hand, gazing up at the still expressionless feline captain, who was watching the aforementioned man with wide eyes. Whoo...this was gonna make GREAT gossip back at port.  
  
"Will you marry me?"  
  
At that particular moment, as proposer and crowd watched with baited breath, an anti-gravity specialist from the Legacy shouted across the gap between the two ships to his captain, "Captain! We're all ready to get underway!"  
  
The crowd all gave the specialist dirty glares, as if the young man had somehow ruined the best show they had seen in years. Amelia herself, already taut with emotion, whirled on the young Lieutenant. "Can't you see I'm bloody BUSY right now!?" she bellowed. The Lieutenant jumped, then hurried away from the Legacy's hull, hoping to avoid any further incursion of wrath from his captain.  
  
Amelia turned back to Delbert, who was inwardly sympathetic for the specialist. After all, he wouldn't get HALF of the flaying the astrophysicist himself was surely due for his little stunt. She stood still for a few moments, just gazing at him. His hopeful stance quickly turned to one of panic, which was beginning to melt into a look of disappointment that he was trying desperately to hide. Her lack of an answer was discouraging to say the least, and he smiled a small, horribly fake smile in order to try to salvage even the slightest bit of dignity out of what was shaping up to be a horrible public rejection. The tension in the crowd was palpable. Raymond, who was studying Amelia very closely, began to lose the battle in hiding his satisfied beam. That doctor was going to get shot down, and he was going to see the whole thing. Beautiful.  
  
Amelia finally broke her eye contact with him and looked to the floor, shaking her head slowly. The crowd groaned. Each member debated to themselves whether or not to stay and watch the rest. Poor guy. They all eventually decided to stay just long enough to let Amelia explain herself.  
  
"Delbert," she began softly, in a pitch so quiet the bystanders had to strain to hear her, "I'm really, truly sorry."  
  
Now that the words were out, Doppler couldn't hide his look of disappointment. The crowd collectively winced; some were almost in tears for the unfortunate man.  
  
"I'm so, so sorry," Amelia continued, her gaze not leaving the deck, "But I'll really have to kill you for all of this. It's a shame too; you'd have made a good husband, I think." She looked up at him with a sly smile.  
  
"Is that a yes?" Delbert breathed. The crowd, with a suddenly renewed passion for the drama, watched Amelia with an intense stare.   
  
She nodded. "Yes."  
  
With a speed that none present knew he had (probably including himself), Delbert Doppler launched himself from the deck and toward Amelia, sweeping her up into a firm embrace. Though in retrospect she would sit and be mortified by the thought of such an affectionate display in public, she allowed him to kiss her then and there, in front of seven or eight very pleased senior officers and one very DISPLEASED captain of the Nefarious. The crowd was about to even go so far as to applaud the newly engaged couple, when their captain broke up the whole scene.  
  
"If you're quite done holding us up, DOPPLER," Raymond growled, "Perhaps you can let Amelia get back to her job. Or maybe you'd like to further this spectacle by asking her to have your children."  
  
Amelia pulled herself away from Doppler and turned to Raymond, a smirk on her face.  
  
"Oh surely he wouldn't bother with all that," Amelia said, "I'm quite sure it was implied when he asked me to marry him." She took the engagement ring Delbert still had clenched in his fist and made a show of slipping it on her left hand. She kissed the Canian's cheek affectionately and began to head back to the ramp, prepared to board her ship, but not before turning back toward the Nefarious, half of her sight set on Raymond, the other on Delbert. "Oh, and of course we'll have DROVES of babies, darling," she grinned toward the doctor, "It's just a consequence of numerous sessions of really tremendous intercourse we'll undoubtedly have---but then of course, Raymond wouldn't know anything about that sort of thing." She briskly made her way back to the Legacy, leaving the Nefarious' senior officers in stitches, and Raymond almost foaming at the mouth with anger.  
  
****************  
  
Eigram had heard about the morning's "proposal fiasco" from Lor, who was on board the Nefarious and still blubbering about what she saw. The male feline had to admit, he was vastly happy for both Amelia and Delbert; they were both so perfect for each other. He didn't want the news to spread on his ship, for he knew Amelia would appreciate it if he kept what he knew hushed, as happy as she might be. Eigram thus only informed Jim Hawkins, who was serving with him on this particular stretch of the mission. Hawkins had begun to laugh, happy for his friends. He had left the room mumbling about "Having to tell mom" and it being "About damn time he spoke up." Despite his happiness for the engagement, Eigram's mood was more somber as he was trying to think out how he was going to keep the Nexian throne out of the hands of the turncoat princess. Though he may be able to return the prince back to his homeworld before his sister arrived, birth order dictated that she would advance to the throne before her brother, who was her junior by six years. Eigram leaned back in his chair, placing his feet up on his desk, his hands behind his head. Though it was a very "uncaptain-like" thing to do, and something his dear mother would have greatly chided him for, the position helped him relax and turn his thoughts into more deep and original ideas. Surely, he would come up with something.  
  
And hopefully sooner than later.  
  
**************  
  
Amelia didn't get to climb into bed until late that evening. A few minor things here and there had shut down on the Legacy for a few hours, a few minor crisises that kept her very busy. Still, the ship was well underway toward the Queen's homeworld, and Amelia was relieved to see that things were going fairly well.  
  
*We might actually be able to right this wrong after all.*  
  
She pulled the blankets around her, settling in for a short sleep before having to rise tomorrow and do it all again. As she turned over on her side and got comfortable, a small glint caught her eye. She smiled broadly in the near-darkness of the bedroom at her left ring finger, which was now sporting a lovely diamond on a shiny golden band. It was an elegant piece of jewelry, expensive looking but not overly lavish; the diamond was large enough to be attractive, but small enough for her tastes in jewelry. While she hated shiny jewels and ornaments, the ring just looked too perfect on her finger. She couldn't wait until the wedding band joined it. She reflected on the whole proposal earlier in the day; while she still felt uncomfortable about having her relationship with Delbert publicly displayed like that, it was such a heartfelt gesture that Amelia was considering letting the doctor live just long enough to see his firstborn. But not too much longer. She was about to fall asleep then, when she heard a knock on the door to her quarters. She jumped out of bed, and pulled open the door, where Turgevny stood, looking tired.  
  
"Sorry to bother you, Capton, but I'm afraid ze solar converters are broken...again."  
  
Amelia heaved a great sigh. "I'll be right out, just let me change." Turgevny nodded as Amelia shut the door. As she began to wriggle back into her uniform, she thought wryly to herself, "Why can't these missions ever be nice, normal missions?"  
  
************  
  
Delbert was still reviewing charts with the navigator late that night. The course they were planning was delicate, and required quite a bit of work. He looked up from a map for a moment, taking off his spectacles and rubbing his eyes before placing the glasses back on the bridge of his nose. He watched as Raymond glared into the depths of space. He had been bitterly quiet all day long, and Delbert had a feeling he knew exactly why. He smiled to himself with the utmost satisfaction he had felt since the trip began. He couldn't even begin to count the number of times he had to fight the urge to dance circles around the taller man and chant "I'm getting married, I'm getting married." As if he somehow knew he was being inwardly mocked by his archnemesis, Raymond turned away from the stars and trained a dark gaze on Doppler.  
  
"Can I help you?" the captain snarled.  
  
Yesterday, Doppler might felt obligated to further the confrontation, but he was in a good mood, plus he was starting to feel tired. "No." He was beginning to head to his bunk to turn in for the night when Raymond spoke up again.  
  
"That panoply of yours on my deck this morning...it was totally uncalled for."  
  
"In your opinion."  
  
If one watched closely enough, they would have seen Raymond's right eye twitch slightly in frustration. He didn't know where the doctor had gotten his newfound courage, but it was aggravating the hell out of him.  
  
"Listen, Doppler," Raymond's eyes narrowed as he glared straight into the other man's eyes, "I was opposed to you being on my ship from the start. If I had it my way I'd launch you out of one of my torpedo bays faster than you can say 'Ready, aim, fire.' Lucky for you I could get fired for something like that, so I'm restraining myself...but just BARELY. You get my meaning?"  
  
Delbert just nodded, in hopes that by somewhat placating the captain, he could end the standoff and go to bed. "If you don't mind, I've had quite a day, so I'll be turning in. Good night."  
  
Raymond rolled his eyes. "Good riddance to you."  
  
Delbert seriously considered doing his little chant right there and then, but then decided against it.  
  
*I'll wait until I invent a catchier tune.*  
  
***********  
  
It had been a long journey, especially considering the fact that they had gotten caught in some high turbulence about a week or so back, causing about a third of the crew to be ill with etherium sickness. Despite their long travel, the Nefarious was only ten or twelve hours from Cresentia. The crew was anxious to get back to port, where they could get a fabulous meal, take long, luxurious baths, and do whatever else struck their fancies. For Delbert Doppler, the potential to disembark was particularly inviting, for he had spent the entire voyage back walking on eggshells around the Nefarious' captain, who was, if it was possible, feeling even greater feelings of contempt for Amelia's new fiance. Doppler wanted to just avoid confrontation where possible, and get the ship to port as soon as possible, so that help could get to Amelia and bring her back to him faster. At this particular moment, the deck was mostly quiet, with the only sound coming from some idle conversation from some of the working crewmembers. Delbert himself was on the main deck, peering through his telescope at a nebula in the south. Raymond was standing on the bridge, his arms crossed, his lips pressed into a thin, tightlipped line. He was facing the opposite direction of Doppler, hoping to catch the first glimpse of Montressor's spaceport.   
  
As he recorded magnitude data about his nebula, Doppler noticed a ship approaching the Nefarious at a quick pace. As they were getting close to a port, Doppler thought nothing of it; the ship was half the size of the massive galleon he was on, and given its size, it was likely a small merchant ship coming from one of the nearby planets. He continued about his work until the ship came uncomfortably close...  
  
"Captain," Doppler called up to the bridge.  
  
"What the hell do you want now, Doppler?"  
  
"There's a ship..."  
  
Raymond turned and squinted at the ship, which was about five miles off.  
  
"It's just a merchant vessel."  
  
Raymond soon ate his own words when the ship pulled up close to the Nefarious' side. The smaller ship's captain yelled over to Raymond. "Surrender your cargo, galleon!"  
  
Raymond scowled. He didn't have time for this crap.  
  
"Screw off pillager!" He turned to his first officer. "Fire on my command." Raymond turned back to the pirate ship. "Suck on this, bastard! FIRE!"  
  
With whatever guns and the like that were working, the naval soldiers lashed out at the small pirate vessel, which had obviously mistaken the naval ship for a merchant one heading to port to trade. Despite it's haggard shape, the Nefarious was able to deal harmful blows to the small vessel, whose crewmembers were scrambling onto the Nefarious' deck, hoping for better luck with hand to hand combat.   
  
Raymond was pissed. He was only a few hours from port, he had an urgent mission, and these pirates were holding him up. He didn't like to be held up. As the pirate captain lunged at Raymond with a flat, broad sword, the Nefarious' captain pulled his own from it's scabbard. Though most captains used it as a strictly ornamental device for formal occasions, Raymond's had been in his family for generations, and he considered it only honorable to wear it around as his naval ancestors had. The long silver blade clanged sharply with that of the pirate's. As fighting ensued around him and the pirate vessel was soon victim to flames from laser cannon fire, Raymond did battle with the human pirate captain. Though the other man was smaller, the match was mostly even, as the pirate proved to be an excellent swordsman. The minutes ticked by, and the pirate crew had either been taken hostage by the Nefarious' crew, or had perished on their ship. The crew of the Nefarious stood away from their captain, not speaking or interfering, fearing that they would break their commander's intense concentration. Delbert Doppler watched the opponents closely, and had to admit, no matter how much he loathed Raymond, he was a good fighter, especially considering he was trouncing around on a half-healed leg.  
  
"Surrender now and I'll see you're only hung for this," Raymond threatened.  
  
The pirate laughed and threw his body weight behind his sword. An angry screech of metal greeted the opponents as Raymond's old blade snapped under the pressure of the combatants. Both men were sent tumbling to the ground over as a result of the force, and Raymond lost his grip on the remainder of his broken weapon, and it went clattering across the deck. The pirate tried to press his blade into Raymond's throat, hoping to make a quick kill before the stunned spacers recovered and helped their disarmed commander. The human wrestled the unarmed man for control, and almost had a clean cut for the jugular...  
  
The pain in his back was extreme.  
  
The pirate lurched back from over Raymond, grabbing for whatever had been stabbed into his right lung. He looked up to see a Canian astronomer standing behind him, looking shocked at what he had just done. The pirate grabbed his sword and slashed at the man, managing to cut open a semi-shallow wound from the scientist's shoulder to just below his ribcage. Doppler reeled back, his eyes wide as the pirate advanced on him, going for the kill. Delbert squeezed his eyes shut, and waited for the blow. Which never came.  
  
BAM! The pirate was knocked from behind by a livid Raymond, and the two men went crashing into the wall of the hull, up and over the side of the ship. The crew gasped as they watched their captain fall overboard. They rushed to the edge, and peered over, relieved to see their captain had not left the force field of the ship, as he was hanging on for dear life to the small crevice out of which one of his damaged left side guns would have emerged. Had the gun been working and there, instead of in repairs, the captain would most assuredly have been dead. Two of the crewmates threw a rope down to their captain, who was able to scale the side of the ship quickly and return to the main deck, where he fell to his knees panting for breath next to the doctor, who was clutching his right shoulder with his hand.  
  
"Doppler...I'm...impressed."  
  
"Is that a compliment?"  
  
"As much as it pains me to admit it, you saved me."  
  
Doppler just shrugged, then winced, realizing the motion caused him a good deal of pain.  
  
Raymond cleared his throat. "But I saved your ass too, so we're even."  
  
"I'd say so."  
  
"This doesn't mean I like you. I still hate you. A lot."  
  
"I wouldn't change that."  
  
Raymond picked himself up off the deck and turned to his first mate. "Get him off my deck, he's bleeding all over it."  
  
The first officer helped Doppler to his feet and proceeded to take him to his bunk.   
  
Raymond picked up the last remaining whole piece of his sword, the blood-covered hilt with a small piece of half fractured blade attached to it. An heirloom, gone.  
  
Dammit, he couldn't wait until this disaster was finally over. *It's been nothing but frickin' trouble.*  
  
The Nefarious continued toward the spaceport.  
To be continued...  
  
Hehehe. I was so amazed to see how many people responded so quickly to my last chapter. I dunno, I got the mutual feeling from you all that you thought my cliffhanger was mean... ;)  
Anyway--I hope you guys liked this chapter...I had one heck of a time trying to write it...it was probably the hardest one to write so far. Anyways...tell me what you think! More to come ladies and gents, so stay tuned.  
  
Love to all my lovely reviewers... ^_^  
  
Aloha,  
  
J. 


	14. Chapter 14

Ch.14  
  
Disclaimer the fourteenth: Wow...I've done 14 of these? Nothing's mine. There's a reference in here to one of my favorite series...I don't own that either.  
  
Sarah Hawkins rushed past two nurses that were talking in the hallway during their break, coffees in hand. The secretary at the front desk had given her the room number, 762, and she was currently on her way to it--two rights, then a left, second door on the left. She pushed open the cream-colored door when she got to it, and stepped inside quietly, closing the door behind her. She gasped when she saw him lying there.  
  
"Delbert!"  
  
He smiled back wryly, sitting up further in bed.  
  
"What the hell happened to you?" she said, going to his bedside. She sat in the brown chair by the bedside, surveying the doctor's injuries. He was wearing the standard hospital smock, but it was easy to tell that large bandages were tied around his upper abdomen. They wove over onto his right shoulder, and his whole right arm hung in a sling.  
  
"It's nothing."  
  
Sarah looked at him incredulously. "Nothing? Looks like a little more than nothing to me."  
  
He smiled. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you've mistaken me for Jim, the way you're babying me."  
  
"Well, someone's got to keep an eye on you Delbert Doppler. You're a walking accident, I swear," she laughed.  
  
He frowned. "This isn't like the time I tripped down the stairs at the University. I was saving a man's life."  
  
"So I've heard. I thought you hated that guy."  
  
"I do. I don't want him to DIE, though. Not unless I'm the one killing him..."  
  
"Delbert," she scolded, "That's horrible."  
  
He shrugged good naturedly, then winced. He had to remember to stop doing that.  
  
"Well," Sarah said, "At least you're home in one piece. Now you can rest and recuperate."  
  
Delbert shook his head. "I was going to leave with the Nefarious again when they head for the Queen's homeworld."  
  
"You're not serious...? Delbert, you were nearly gutted by a pirate! You need to rest."  
  
"Amelia's heading into a very dangerous situation. I don't feel good about it at all. I want to help her in any way possible."  
  
"Delbert, really, how much help do you think you'll be with one arm?"  
  
"It's my good arm. I'm left-handed, remember?"  
  
Sarah let out a frustrated sigh. "Maybe so, but you could hurt yourself further. Maybe get yourself killed. You're a sitting duck with a injury like that. Besides, you and I know perfectly well that if anyone can handle things herself, it's Amelia."  
  
He smiled slightly. "Yeah, she is pretty remarkable."  
  
"And if she were here right now, she'd probably tell you 'stay on this planet or so help me I'll throttle you.' She wouldn't want you to go out there."  
  
"I might lose her again..."  
  
Sarah patted his hand. She had heard about Amelia's rescue from some spacers at the Halfhouse, and she could only imagine how ecstatic the doctor must have been to see his lover. "Have a little faith. She'll be fine."  
  
He sighed and leaned back into the pillows, which were a clean, bleached white. "Perhaps. I do have other things to attend to; I have a wedding to plan," he smiled broadly, "I'm an engaged man, you know."  
  
Sarah's face erupted into a large beam, "You asked her?"  
  
"I did," he nodded, "In front of the entire senior staff of the Nefarious as well as Raymond."  
  
"Oh my."  
  
"Indeed. I thought Amelia was going to kill me for that."  
  
"But she agreed to marry you instead?"  
  
"Oh, I have no doubt she'll kill me later, but yes, she did say 'yes.'"  
  
"Delbert, I'm so happy for you!" Sarah hugged him carefully, avoiding his injuries, "I can't wait for the wedding!"  
  
He grinned.  
  
"And the kids! The Benbow will be up by the time they arrive--oh, it'll be so nice to have a baby around the inn again! Or five!"  
  
His eyes widened. "FIVE?"  
  
"Well, all in good time of course," she winked at him.  
  
Delbert blinked a few times. "Five?"  
  
"You could always have more if you liked," she said slyly.  
  
His eyes got bigger, so much in fact, that Sarah was almost sure they would pop out of his head. "Uh...no."  
  
She laughed. "It's good to have you back, Delbert. It's been awhile since I had a good laugh."  
  
***************  
  
Despite it's somewhat rickety condition, the Legacy was able to make it to the royal palace grounds in more or less one piece. The repair crews at the old shipyards there were more than happy to cater to the crippled vessel, and repairs to the Legacy were soon underway. While her crew rested and enjoyed a bit of the port life, Amelia herself was striding down the streets of the capital, making a beeline for the actual palace itself. Behind her, Turgevny kept mostly in step with her, even though his heavy reptilian legs were hardly meant for the brisk paces the feline was able to achieve. Amelia's mind became one track as she quickly approached her destination, the building looming in a great wall of white in front of her. It was a great tourist spot, the courtyard in front of the great palace, and on days when they were feeling particularly nice, the uniformed guards in front of the large ivory doors of the entrance would let the visitors stand on the extravagant palace steps and take remarkable pictures for the viewing enjoyment of friends and family alike. Despite the fine craftsmanship of the intricate entrance, Amelia's thoughts dwelled only on getting her pressing information to the queen, seeing that she was properly protected, warding off the pirate overthrow, and getting back to Montressor as soon as possible. She climbed the steps, taking them one at a time with fast, rhythmic footsteps, and stopped when she was confronted with a pair of guards, a pudgy man and his scrawny counterpart.  
  
"I'm sorry, Miss, but you aren't 'loud in there I'm 'fraid," the pudgy guard said  
  
Amelia gave him a look. "I'm here on business as a member of the Royal Navy."  
  
"You're an officer, eh?" "Pudge" said, "Well now, you're th' prettiest spacer I've ever seen; don't you think so, Nigel?"  
  
Nigel, a young man and obviously new to the military, blushed, then shrugged. "Uhh...I..."  
  
Amelia rolled her eyes. "Oh cut the bull and let me in already."  
  
"I wasn't told 'bout any 'business' the navy 'ad with the queen. I need to see your credentials."  
  
"Credentials? Bloody hell, this is important; I don't have time for this."  
  
"Just your military credentials, ma'am, then you can be on your way."  
  
Amelia frowned. Blast this man.... "I'm not an official naval officer anymore. I haven't been for five years."  
  
"Well then, what would a NON-naval captain 'ave to do with the business of the royal navy, emmm?"  
  
Amelia grabbed the guard by his crisply starched collar; had "Pudge's" companion been an experienced guard, Amelia might have had the barrel of the young officer's weapon pointed at the back of her head, but as it was, Nigel stood there shocked as Amelia got in the face of a man easily twice her size.   
  
"I have business of the UTMOST importance, sir, and if you don't mind being that which keeps us from defending our empire and queen, then by all means, sit here and interrogate me, ID me and strip search me. Otherwise, stand aside and let me in before I plaster you to this spotless white veranda." She released "Pudge" and glared at him pointedly, as if daring him to try and badger her further with identification requests.  
  
"Sorry there, miss...but I'm only doin' me job..." he swallowed. "I...I suppose I could..."  
  
"Amelia!" a voice rang out from the doorway. In the doorway was a kindly older Admiral and a younger Corporal. The Admiral smiled, then approached Amelia. "I got the message you sent during your descent to the surface; I am quite eager to hear about this threat you've encountered." The corporal remained stone-faced as the Admiral talked.   
  
"Very well then," Amelia said in a clipped voice, "Let's get on with it then." She strode past the guards, who both watched her silently as she passed.  
  
Nigel whistled appreciatively, "What a woman..."  
  
**************  
  
The Nefarious was given clearance to land on Nexus VII almost immediately after the ground control learned that the crown prince was alive and on board. Eigram disembarked, Ahai hovering close to his right; the captain had promised ground control that he would escort the prince personally, for matters of security as well as the fact that he had valuable information to give the heads of state. Eigram brought his new confidant, Jim, with him, for Ahai seemed to trust him more than anyone else on board, a fact which caused the young boy to be slightly more at ease with the trying situation at hand. As they approached the main gates of a rather large red-orange building--the rather basic royal castle. The guards at the gate parted upon seeing Ahai, and both dipped low into bows upon seeing their prince, who had been presumed dead along with the remainder of the royal family. Ahai led Jim and Eigram into a long, narrow entrance room, which was decorated rather lavishly with huge painting, stone busts, and ancient Nexian relics. Jim looked around the hall in awe, holding his breath as his eyes shifted from a two hundred year old oil painting, to an old-fashioned spacer solider suit, etched with precious metals and encrusted in fine gemstones at each wrist opening.   
  
"This way," Ahai said, proceeding down the hall. His footsteps quickened as they advanced, and his posture began to take on a grander stance, as if being back in his childhood home had somehow brought out a hidden courage. He strode toward a set of engraved glass doors with a purpose, and pulled on one of the ruby handles with his left arms. As one of the doors swung open, Jim could make out the alien saying "Ino Dus Almagius Notobu." What it meant, he hadn't the slightest idea, for the language hadn't been covered in his interplanetary studies class back at the academy. In the back of his mind, he filed away the saying to ask Ahai about it later, but kept his attention to the task at hand as Ahai took them into a rather large throne room.   
  
With the exception of the high queen, few royal members of indivuals planets or systems had throne rooms anymore, but this particular one still existed and was being well used at the moment. On the central throne, where the king may have sat if he were still alive, sat an older woman, her graying hair tied back into an intricate knot and fastened with a fancy gold clip. She was peering over the tops of her glasses at a slightly younger man, who was standing before her, rambling off words as fast as his mouth could spit them out. In the queen's throne, a still younger man, maybe only five or six years Jim's senior was snoring quietly in the detailed, handcrafted golden seat. The old woman looked up from the rambling man and gasped when she saw Ahai. Her face lit up as she leapt from her chair and rushed to the prince.  
  
"Ori Matir! This is a happy day!" she said, sweeping the boy into a bone-crushing hug with all four arms, "It's does my old heart much good to see my cousin's son again."  
  
Ahai blushed slightly as his mother's cousin released him. "I'm...uh...glad to see you too, Patai." Jim could tell he was more than glad to see close family that wasn't trying to kill him or his kin, but he imagined the boy was too embarrassed to admit it in front of the captain and himself.  
  
"We thought you were dead! We heard all about the terrible, terrible ambush! Thank the goddesses that you are alright!"  
  
Ahai just nodded.  
  
Patai regarded Eigram. "On behalf of the people of Nexus VII I thank you from the bottom of my heart for bring the young prince back to us. Please, stay as our esteemed guest, honorable captain..."  
  
"Eigram. And as lovely as your invitation is, I'm afraid I bring nothing but more grave news with me. We must see to it that the prince is coronnated immediately."  
  
Patai looked at Eigram in shock. "Saq qui! Why ever would we have to worry about that? After an ordeal like that, I'm sure the prince would like to rest and enjoy being back in his palace."  
  
Ahai turned on Patai. "No, you don't understand. He's right. Call the priests and have them come to the throne room immediately. We have to start up preparations at once."  
  
"But your highness..."  
  
"CALL THE PRIESTS NOW!" he bellowed.  
  
Patai frowned but turned toward the rambling man. "Assemble High Priests Marcel, Amirge, and Jeannin at once."  
  
"Y-y-y-y-yes ma'am."  
  
Patai turned back to Ahai. "I trust you have a good reason for this, highness?"  
  
Ahai grimaced. "Remind me to tell you when this is all over."  
  
**************  
  
"So there's a spy in our midst?" the Admiral, Kondage asked, shocked, "Dear god, he's been under our nose the whole time and we had no idea."  
  
Amelia grimaced. "I have no idea who your agent is, but I assure you, he is in service in the palace at this very moment."  
  
The Admiral rubbed his chin. "Hmmmm...well for now, I propose we keep this quiet...we don't want to tip of the spy that we know."  
  
"Exactly."  
  
"I can put guards on the queen around the clock, even as she sleeps," the quiet corporal, Orthout, spoke. It was one of only three times he had said something all day, and for reasons she couldn't quite comprehend, it gave Amelia a funny feeling. It was a lot like when a house with a notoriously rambunctious child suddenly goes quiet--though it seems perfectly harmless, there is an ominous quality that something very bad is about to happen. It made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. She would keep a close watch on this one.  
  
"A good idea," said Kondage, "I have a few good Lieutenants who would be perfect for the night watch."  
  
Amelia nodded. "I can help you survey the palace. In the meantime, we should inform the security control that they should be on high alert of any approaching fleets of three ships or more."  
  
"Ah! Very good. Head off their planetary attack by catching them before they strike. No wonder they promoted you so young," Kondage smiled. Amelia smiled politely back, though she had no use for such compliments. She wanted nothing better than to see this mission over, the overthrowers all lying dead, heads separated from bodies, and her back on Montressor with her lovely boyfriend---no, fiancé, who she already missed dearly.   
  
"I'll take care of the planetary defenses if you want to take care of palace security, sir," Orthout said to Kondage, "I did major in planetary defense."  
  
"Excellent. See to it then. And thank you again for your information, Captain, it's been most helpful," the Admiral smiled once before heading out the door.  
  
"Indeed; very helpful," Orthout said tonelessly, as he followed Kondage into the brightly lit hallways of the royal palace.  
  
Amelia squinted at him. Yes, a VERY close eye on that one.  
  
*************  
  
The ancient Nexian rites required a two-day ritual before a king could take a throne. The prince would have to first be cleansed, then blessed. Fasting would then be done for a day, complete with meditation and prayer. After the tedious activities, Ahai stood in the old throne room, staring out at the crowd of officials, Jim, and Eigram. He was shivering, but more from cold than any fear or trepidation he was feeling. The priest in front of him was reading the final pieces out of an old text. Ahai repeated some of the words back at the priest, wishing that the old man would just pick up the pace. They had been lucky to avoid Carysa's presence thus far, but even for his young age, Ahai could tell that the situation at hand was far more pressing than the old man squinting at the book in front of him knew. How Eigram and Jim had managed to stay calm was beyond him, for the very thought of war on the brink of his homeworld chilled him. The old priest finished his reading and placed the silver book down on the podium he was standing at. Grabbing an extremely ornate crown with jewels only found in the Nexus system (and even then, only rarely), and went to place it on Ahai's head as the prince bowed down.  
  
"May your rule forever--"  
  
Eigram usually had nerves of steel, as the academy teaches a good captain to have, but the sound of the glass doors slamming open made even him jump.  
  
"Stop! He has no claim to the throne!"  
  
Ahai rose his head sharply to see his sister standing there, glaring at him.  
  
To be continued...  
  
Wheeeeeeee...I know this is a little shorter than usual, but I wanted to get SOMETHING out there. It's been a wild couple of weeks...I usually post on Mon. (as if you couldn't tell), but last Mon. yours truly turned one year older, and then a horrific week of midterms followed. Now that that's all over, I can get back to this. I really hope no one's losing interest... .  
Anyway, while you're all still reading anyway, I'd like to write another fic when I finish here. Any ideas?   
  
Aloha,  
  
J. 


	15. Chapter 15

Ch. 15  
  
Disclaimer the fifteenth: See disclaimer the fourteenth  
  
Patai was stuck in a very precarious situation indeed. On the one hand, the royal princess was alive and well, if somewhat furious-looking as she stared down her adorned sibling. To be perfectly fair, Ahai had a look on his face that denoted uneasiness, but not so much as fear that the older, taller sister could easily have his hide. Something about all of this didn't seem right...should Ahai be happy to see his sister? Patai bounced nervously on her heels as Carysa advanced to the main podium where the throne, Ahai and the head priest Jeannin stood.  
  
"He has no claim to the throne," Carysa repeated in a low tone, "I am the eldest, and thereby the only one suitable for the advancement. Besides, Ahai is the one responsible for our parents' death! He WANTED them and myself killed so that he could ascend to the throne and obtain absolute power!"  
  
Ahai's face burned with rage as he turned to Patai, "It's not true! Not a word of it!"  
  
"Oh isn't it?" Carysa taunted, "Then why, pray tell were you in such a hurry to be coronated? Why did you have to bring these naval lackeys with you? I'll TELL you why! You got wind that I may be alive and would come to avenge our poor parents' murder, which is EXACTLY what I intend to do! A just ruler will ascend to this throne and you shall be put to death."  
  
"That's a lie! Your whole damn story was nothing but lies!" Ahai whirled on Carysa, then back to Patai. "It was HER who had our parents' killed! She betrayed us! She befriended the pirates who ambushed us and helped them escape. Jim saw it all! Ask him! He saw it all!"  
  
Jim stood resolute as Patai turned two green eyes to him. "Is this true, offworlder?"  
  
Jim only nodded, piercing Carysa's gaze with a sharp look of his own. *You won't get away with this so long as I'm still alive.*  
  
"Surely you won't believe a filthy offworlder's word over my own? Besides, they're probably CONSPIRATORS. Him and the feline should be burned at the stake along with my traitorous brother."  
  
"Oh, you'd like that, wouldn't you?" Ahai bellowed, "Murder myself and Jim and Eigram so NOBODY stands in the way when you manipulate everyone into your sick little game! Whatever this is for I hope it was worth it! I hope it was worth Mom and Dad's lives!"  
  
"Enough!" Patai spoke. "Guards, take the children to their rooms and confine them there. Do not leave them unguarded."  
  
"What about the coronation?" Carysa said incredulously, "You're not going to let him get away with this treachery...?"  
  
"There will be no crowning of anyone until I get to the bottom of this. I have two very different stories, both just as sinister. Until I get some real answers, I refuse to grant either one of you the power that could bring Nexus to it's knees. You are dismissed."  
  
"You can't do that!" Carysa spat.  
  
"I can so!" Patai spun on her, "And I have! Guards, take them to their rooms immediately."  
  
Four guards stepped forward, two seizing each royal. Patai turned to Jim and Eigram. "I must insist you return to you vessel and re-enter orbit. You may stay there until we figure this out."  
  
Eigram only nodded, not wanting to hurt Ahai's chances so early in. "Very well." He bowed once to Patai and nodded to Jim to follow him out.  
  
Patai slunk down onto the massive throne, her head in her hands. *What do I do with THIS mess?*  
  
Meanwhile, Carsya smiled once at her brother as they were escorted down the hallway. A pit formed in Ahai's stomach as he read her expression.  
  
"Watch yourself," she hissed, "Or you may find yourself falling into a slumber tonight you'll never wake up from."  
  
"There are guards," Ahai spat defiantly.  
  
Carysa smiled deviously again. "Do you really think that will stop me? Three SHIPS full of soldiers couldn't. I have friends in places you'd never think...don't sleep tonight..." she laughed to herself, quietly and deeply.  
  
Ahai watched her as the guards lurched her in a different direction down the hall.   
  
She mouthed to him.  
  
::Don't you close your eyes.::  
  
********************  
  
He had met her down at the spaceport as he always did after she returned from a voyage. While other crewmembers where being bombarded with happy lovers and excited children happy to see their loved ones home, Delbert stood aside, watching the scene, not speaking. He would wait by the gangplank where the minor crewmembers were disembarking for home, watching until the last one stepped onto the wooden pier. When the walkway was clear, he would trudge all the way up onto the main deck, where the first officer and a few senior officers would be putting the last few things in order. Amelia never left her ship unless it was in perfect order, ready for the next mission she chose to undertake. Usually, Delbert could spot his love talking over last details with Turgevny, and she would give him a knowing look, telling him to stay put, for she was almost finished. Today, however, there was absolutely no trace of her, which unsettled him. He saw the head navigator shutting down the consoles, and decided to ask him if he knew about Amelia's whereabouts.  
  
"I dunno...hmmmmm...last time I saw her, she was headin' toward the bowels of the ship. Probably to talk to the engineers. Had some problems with the inner circuitry, we did. You know how the Captain is, sir--never likes to leave any loose ends."  
  
"Of course," Delbert said jovially. He walked down the stairs and through the engineering corridors, which were warm, dark, and covered in piping. He heard voices deep within the mass of hallways, near the boiler room, one male, one female. Even though he was standing a good distance away, by listening in on the female voice he was able to tell right off that it was not Amelia's for it didn't contain her strong accent. He peaked his head into a few spare parts lockers and saw nothing but the gigantic metal pieces needed for the ship's weapon and propulsion systems. The male that was speaking to the female emerged from the room and raised one eyebrow at Delbert.   
  
"Can I help you?"  
  
"I'm looking for Ame-- the captain."  
  
"You just missed her. I think she was heading toward Mr. Turgevny's quarters."  
  
Delbert nodded his thanks and headed in the direction of the first mate's quarters, which were just below Amelia's own. He knocked twice on the large wooden door to Turgevny's room, hoping that Amelia would be inside--this was beginning to be a very tedious chase indeed. When no answer came, he rapped on the door two more times, just a little louder than before. There was once again silence, and Delbert thought about just walking away, but the door soon opened briskly to reveal Turgevny standing tall and rigid in the doorway.  
  
"Dr. Doppler. Vhat a surprise. You are looking for ze Capton, I am assuming?"  
  
"Uh...uh, yes. I was told she was with you."  
  
"No. She just left. She has returned to her stateroom."  
  
Delbert rolled his eyes--Damn evasive woman. "Thank you, Turgevny."  
  
Turgevny nodded once, sharply, then shut the door again.  
  
Delbert walked up a short flight of stairs to Amelia's stateroom and stepped inside. She wasn't sitting at her desk or standing by the window or even in the room at all. Delbert made his way over to her bedroom, whose door was wide open in a characteristically un-Amelia-like fashion. In a few strides he came to the doorway and stopped with a screeching halt.  
  
Red.  
  
Everywhere...EVERYWHERE.  
  
The floor was damp with it, the sheets were soaked in it, and walls were splattered with it, all radiating from the corpse wrapped twice in once-white sheets, lying on the bed, with a large jagged pirate sword sticking grotesquely out of it. The makeshift shroud covered the body from head to toe, but he knew...  
  
At his feet, in the floor, carved in jagged capital letters was a message for him, the letters standing out in crimson from pooling blood.  
  
--You really didn't think she'd make it out alive, did you?--  
  
Signed only with a jolly roger emblem, which smiled back at him in a sinister way.  
  
The pirates had won.  
  
"Amelia!" He ran to the body, pulled back the sheet from her face...  
  
"No!"  
  
It was the only the pain on the back of his head that distracted him from the sight. He squeezed his eyes shut against it, then opened them again.  
  
Sarah Hawkins was standing over him. "Oh, god, Delbert, are you alright?" She extended a hand to him, and it was only then that he realized he was on the floor. On a rich indigo rug.  
  
*Wait...Amelia doesn't have an indigo rug.*  
  
Delbert grasped Sarah's hand with his good arm and stood shakily. Sarah began brushing him off and surveying him for injuries. "You're not hurt, are you? I mean, do you need any medical attention? How's you shoulder? Did you hit your head?"  
  
"What happened?" Delbert asked, reeling and panting for breath.  
  
"You fell asleep on my couch after dinner. You started tossing, then screaming. Are you okay?"  
  
"No," he said, a wild look in his eyes, "No." He rushed toward the door and gathered up his coat from a hook on the back of the door.  
  
"Delbert, where are you going? It's storming outside! And it's late. You're welcome to Jim's room. You shouldn't go traveling in that."  
  
"No...I--I've gotta go."  
  
"Where? Home?"  
  
"The spaceport."  
  
Sarah groaned in frustration. "Delbert, really..."  
  
He still continued to shrug his coat on, getting it slightly tangled in his haste.  
  
Sarah stepped forward and lunged for the door as he attempted to leave. She stood between him and it, her hand firmly on the doorknob.  
  
"Tell me why you're going to the spaceport."  
  
"I'm leaving with the Nefarious in the morning."  
  
"Delbert, I thought we talked about this..."  
  
"That was then, this is now-- now move."  
  
Sarah held her ground. Delbert was rarely ever like this, cross and demanding, and she wasn't sure she liked it, but she wasn't about to let her injured friend go out into the freezing, pouring rain at 2 in the morning, headed for the spaceport.  
  
"No."  
  
The look in his eyes was fierce, and for a second Sarah almost thought she had enraged him well beyond his limit, so much so that he may PHYSICALLY remove her from the doorway. The look faded though, and was replaced with a pleading, desperate one.  
  
"You have to let me go. Please."  
  
Sarah's stance relaxed a bit, but she didn't budge. "Don't do this. You know you'll only get yourself into trouble. You can't be of any help with your arm in a sling. Be reasonable."  
  
He sighed, weary and defeated, and sat down on the arm of Jim's nearby chair. "She was dead, Sarah. The pirates...oh god, it was...god..."  
  
Sarah removed her hand from the doorknob and leaned against the white door, her arms hugging herself tightly. "Your dream?"  
  
He nodded.  
  
"It was only a dream."  
  
"That's not the point!" he yelled, then looked sorry for doing so. "Sorry."  
  
Sarah gave him a meek smile. "It's okay."  
  
He sighed once, then continued in hushed tones. "It's just...I'll feel more in control if I'm there. Like, if I'm there, I can somehow change things. I can keep them from hurting her."  
  
Sarah approached him and patted his good shoulder sympathetically. "I know how you feel. There are times when I feel that, if I were out there with Jim, I could keep him from getting hurt, or cold, or hungry, but the truth is, he's strong and independent. If there's a way that he'll come out okay, I know he'll find it on his own. And Amelia's the same way. It's tough, but you have to believe that."  
  
Delbert nodded slowly. She was right, he KNEW she was right. *But that doesn't make it any easier.*  
  
Sarah smiled at him. "I'm sure there's a way that you can help the whole operation without leaving Montressor to do it. We'll think of something."  
  
Delbert grinned only slightly. "Yes, I suppose you're right." *Well, I'll have plenty of time to think of something tonight, because I don't think I'll sleep for a week now.*  
  
***********  
  
Between Kondage and the queen's palace staff, Amelia's accommodations were made more extravagant than she could ever imagine, or ever want. They had insisted that she be their guest at the palace overnight, so that she may be easily accessible in an emergency. Amelia didn't worry about the Legacy--it was in the hands of a perfectly capable first officer and a sturdy crew. No, that wasn't what was throwing her off.   
  
It was the surroundings for one. The large, overly ornate room was decked from ceiling to floor in silver and other precious metals, a far cry from her humble quarters on her ship and even over-done compared to Delbert's mansion-based bedroom back home. The room was dark, in colors of fine, dark purples on the walls. Said walls were covered in rich paintings and large mirrors with detailed frames. There were two chairs in the far left corner-- whose backing, legs, and armrests where done in swirling patterns of shiny silver-- next to a small table with a crystal table top. On top of that was a small statuette of a woman (or what Amelia hoped was a woman) of an indiscernible race. The bed in the center of the room was enormous to say the least. Had Delbert been there, the two of them could have easily shared it without so much as feeling the other shift in bed. After surveying the adjoining bathroom, she saw the it was just as remarkable. If it had been earlier in the day, she might have politely refused to stay there, but she was tired and the location allowed her easy surveillance to Orthout. Her stomach sank a bit at the thought of him.  
  
Ah. Now there was something about that guy that just seemed wrong, as if the silent, off-putting officer had a secret to hide. Plus, he seemed very anxious to take control of planetary defenses. *His major, indeed.* Amelia snorted. She proceeded to the bathroom where she drew a warm bath, and the looked in the grand mirror standing over the dark marble vanity.  
  
Most of her abrasions from her stint with the pirates had faded, and few had left any trace of a scar. The prospect of having a few battle marks left behind didn't faze her in the least, even if they were on her face: she wasn't all that vain, and no doubt they'd make GREAT story-telling at the next family reunion. She could just see the look of disgust on her cousins' faces when she would describe how she came about them. And her great aunt Aenid. Ah...she'd say that they were unbecoming on a lady, that she was in a reckless profession, and that she should have done the sensible thing and married a prominent feline officer and had seven or eight kittens, had she wanted to dabble in the military arts. Amelia laughed in spite of herself. That was her aunt's answer to everything her female family members wanted to do. Like art? Marry an artist and have his sons. Music? Marry an orchestral player and have HIS sons. Sailing? Scholarship? It was all the same. Men went out and worked and got scars. Women had babies and lots of them. Amelia smiled wickedly to her reflection. Yup. Definitely showing these off.  
  
She climbed into the tub and reveled a bit in the water. It had been ages since she had taken a nice bath, and she was surprised at how much she missed it. She aimlessly dangled her right arm off the side of the tub and let her thoughts wander to things outside of treacherous Lieutenants and pirates. Hell, what was twenty minutes going to hurt? After spending some time thinking about how Jim was faring on his mission, how Sarah was doing back home, how Delbert was holding up without her, and how she could make her battle wounds sound the most gruesome, she pulled herself out of the tub and pulled on a robe. She ventured back to the bedroom where a silken nightgown was laid out for her, and she crinkled her nose. It was not something she would normally wear--so revealing and...yeah. It was really a waste of a nightgown, without a man to appreciate it. Though it was long and came to her ankles, the front cut rather low, and Amelia sighed. *Delbert would love this on me more than I do.* Still, she only had to wear it to bed, so she pulled it on and slipped under the covers of the bed. She turned off the bedside light and was engulfed in a quiet darkness. The room had seemed dark in the light, but now that it was night, it seemed positively pitch black, even to her well-trained feline eyes. This, of course, didn't prevent her from getting sleep. She was rarely truly afraid of anything, and she had most certainly NEVER been afraid of the dark. She struggled to get comfortable in her "blasted nightgown from hell," but she was finally able to, and fell asleep.  
Her right ear twitched as she picked up the slightest bit of sound. At first, she thought it was Delbert, but she quickly remembered that he was on his way back to the spaceport. She then dismissed the noise as being from next door and shut her eyes again. When she heard a brief rustling, her ears perked up, and she sat still, stopping her breathing so that she pick up any and all sound around her. As she concentrated, she made it out more distinctly.  
  
On her right.   
  
Its shadow a dim silhouette in the light from half-drawn curtains on a moonless night.  
  
Amelia quickly jumped from bed as the shadow lunged, missing her in the dark. The assailant quickly recovered, and managed to grab her, holding her with her back to him, a cold, steel knife held against her throat. Amelia threw all her weight backward, and she and the attacker fell backward onto the bed. She managed to make him out just barely in the room, and elbowed him sharply. She heard a grunt of pain and made a mad sprint for the door and the lighted hallway. She rumaged for the doorknob, fumbling in the lightless room, her hands running down the length of the wall. When her hands finally came into contact with the knob, she thrust the door open and burst into the hall, slamming the door behind her. Each door would lock automatically, but only from the inside, so as she heard her aggressor begin to recoup his strength, she began thinking fast. If she could somehow jam the lock and prevent him from leaving, she could get guards, retrieve him, and interrogate him on who he worked for. *And I wonder just what LIEUTENANT that might be.* She heard him leap from the bed and begin to bound toward the door. She needed something--something to cram into the keyhole so the lock couldn't move. But what? She scanned the hallway, finding nothing but some rather hideous stone busts and pedestals and a few flowering plants. Then it dawned on her.  
  
Hell, he would forgive her.  
  
Tearing it from her finger, she rammed her engagement ring into the lock hole, a Durturian design. The locking mechanism was now stuck, and the guards would have to bust the door down just to get to the criminal, but he was trapped and would get his.  
  
She heard the offender pull at the door, frantically trying to escape. She winced as she watched the lock's movements crush the band and chip the diamond on her ring. Damn.  
  
Hearing the commotion from only a few doors down, Kondage emerged from his room wearing nothing but some green boxers and a white undershirt.  
  
"Captain! Are you alright?" he asked, rushing to Amelia's side.  
  
"No! There's a man in there...he tried to murder me. Where is security? Dammit, I need some security guards now!"  
  
Kondage fled down the hall and returned with three burly guards. After Amelia explained her plight, they proceeded to break down her door and apprehend the criminal. Using one of the busts as a battering ram (*Not a loss there,* Amelia thought), the guards managed to smash open the door. They stood in a perfect apprehending formation, shoulder-to-shoulder, feet spread, arms out with flintlock pointed at the bed.  
  
"Freeze!" one of the guards bellowed, "We are armed and we will shoot."  
  
The person on the bed lay flat, obeying the order and not moving.  
  
One the guard turned on the bedroom light, and Amelia stepped forward to catch a glimpse of her attacker, and "provoke" him into telling her who sent him. As she took in the sight of the person on the bed, she was shocked.  
  
Clenching her fists in utter aggravated rage, she narrowed her eyes at the man and then dropped her head in defeat.   
  
There he was, on the bed, dead by his own hand. Whoever this man was, and whoever he worked for, they wanted to make damn sure Amelia didn't find out.  
  
But there was always a hunch.  
To be continued...  
  
Ok. So I can only blame school on HALF of the reason why this is so late. The other half is that hideous disease called writer's block. Can't get through one story without having at least one bout with it, but I think (hope) I'm over it. I have an ending, I promise. :)  
  
And bleh to Disney animation studios for taking down their TP display. Oooooooohh, the ways in which I freaked when I saw a different one in it's place.  
  
Anyway--love to my reviewers! Many thanks! Oh...I'm still open for suggestions on a new story when this is over! ^_^  
  
Aloha,  
  
J. 


	16. Chapter 16

Ch. 16  
  
Disclaimer the sixteenth: Does it look like I'm getting any royalties from this?  
  
By the time Raymond had arrived to Amelia's aid, the murderer-that-never-was was seven days dead, lying there in the morgue at the nearby military base. Amelia crossed her arms across her chest in hopes to preserve some of her warmth in the cold autopsy room. Her stone gaze was fixed on the body of the dead would-be assassin, her expression passive and unemotional. She felt a small shiver travel up her spine, one she was sure had only half to do with the frigid temperature of the room. She looked around once, hoping neither the doctor on staff, Kondage, or Raymond noticed her momentary lapse into weakness. This whole situation was getting a little TOO hairy. Even for her.   
  
"I've managed to identify the victim as one Peter Torng; cause of death from excessive bleeding from the aorta and jugular vein due to stab wounds, obviously self-inflicted. He really did a number on himself. Wanted to make sure he was good and dead."  
  
Raymond sneered. "But who is he working for? Why do they want Amelia dead?"  
  
The doctor shrugged. "I don't solve the crimes, I just hack up the bodies from the resulting fray."  
  
Kondage sighed. "I'll have some of my best men get on it. I'm sure we can find the culprit." He gave a quick glance to his gold pocket watch before turning back to Amelia and Raymond. "If you'll pardon my leaving, I have some other business to attend to. Good day." He bowed slightly to the two captains as a gesture of respect, the exited the morgue. Raymond looked at Amelia, who was once again studying the body.  
  
"Well," Raymond said, clearing his throat, "It's good to see you weren't hurt."  
  
Amelia shook her head halfheartedly, only partly listening to him. "I almost nearly was."  
  
"Do you have any evidence that points to who Mr. Torng may have been working for?"  
  
"No," Amelia sighed, finally turning away from the gray, stiff corpse and heading toward the door, "Only the body and the door we had to break down to apprehend him."  
  
"Door?" Raymond asked, following her out. Amelia held the thick, black door open for the other captain, who flashed her what he hoped was a dashing smile.   
  
"Yes. I managed to lock him in my room. That's when he...proceeded to slay himself."  
  
Raymond nodded, watching Amelia's expression closely. Her face was the ususal set "captain's mask," but her gait and eyes revealed that she was tired. Tired of pirates. Tired of murder attempts. This needed to end, and soon, before they all stopped being so lucky. Despite the moment of brief pity he felt for her, his male libido couldn't resist a look at her body--at her long legs and curvaceous hips, which were moving in a fast pace toward another room further within the base. He licked his lips. *Gorgeous.* Feeling his eyes on her, most notably her lower extremities, she snapped the fingers on her left hand to catch his attention. He looked at her hand, then up at her face, which was none to pleased by his fawning. He cleared his throat, and shrugged in an apologetic manner, though inside he felt none to apologetic. *I mean, with her doing that...WALKING and all, what man WOULDN'T look?* It was a good minute before he spoke again, just as the two of them reached a white door with a shiny brass doorknob.  
  
"Uh," he began, "I was given this by a woman back at the spaceport. Some Mrs. Hawkins...she insisted I give it to you." He pulled an envelope out of his jacket pocket and handed it to Amelia, who stuffed it in hers without a word. There was more silence as the passed the doors flanking their left and right sides, and Raymond tried a different tack at conversation. "I can't help but notice that you've 'misplaced' your engagement ring. You've called it off then?"  
  
She let out one sharp laugh. "You don't quit, do you? Well, I'll have you know, sir, that I have not 'misplaced' my ring, as you so deftly put it. I know perfectly well where it is."  
  
Raymond raised an eyebrow at her as they entered through the door and into a room, where a man in a lab coat was dusting a battered door for fingerprints. Amelia took two strides to the center of the room and pointed her long, thin index finger at the door's lock mechanism. "It's in there."  
  
Raymond bent down to see that, crushed between two sturdy metal pieces of the lock, was indeed the extravagant ring. The ONCE extravagant ring.  
  
Raymond laughed. "That's all you could think of to use?"  
  
Amelia scowled at him. "It was either that or let that son of a bitch slit my throat and leave my body in some godforsaken ditch in the palace gardens. I can replace the damn ring. My neck is a whole other story. But I suppose YOU could have come up with a better idea?"  
  
Before Raymond could respond, the fingerprinter spoke up. "I haven't come across any fingerprints aside from Torng's, Captain Amelia's, and the housekeeper. I'm afraid we won't get much out of this."  
  
Amelia growled. "Blast it. No matter. I have my own suspicions, and I intend to follow up on them. Thank you for your time."  
  
"No problem," the fingerprinter said, "Gives me something to do down here besides eat pizza and read...er...adult reading."  
  
Amelia rolled her eyes and left the room.  
  
Raymond poked the lock once with a large forefinger. No way that ring was coming out. He smiled to himself. *That doctor's gonna go nuts. Maybe he'll give himself an aneurysm or something...yes, yes, that would be a very nice end to all of this.*  
  
He turned to the fingerprinter, who was now opening a box of half-eaten bonza-sausage and cheese pizza. Knowing he was being watched, the man sheepishly gave Raymond a once over, observing his lean body and comparing it with his own.  
  
"Uh...you think maybe I should cut back a little?" he asked, nodding to the pie.  
  
Raymond snorted. "A little? Drop the slice, tubby, you're making me fat just watching you."  
  
Raymond whisked out of the room just as the fingerprinter slid the remaining pizza into the nearby trash receptacle.  
  
**********  
  
Amelia sat on her own bed, back in the safe harbor of her ship, as she pulled off her jacket and retrieved the letter from Sarah. She opened the cream-colored envelope and pulled out two different groups of folded parchment. The first was from Sarah herself, which Amelia recognized right away due to the neat, meticulous handwriting.  
  
Captain Amelia,  
  
I trust this letter finds you well. Delbert's practically been itching to contact you, and I figured that that Captain Raymond fellow would find a way to easily "lose" a letter coming from his rival, so I enclosed it in this envelope. Luckily, he condensed it. Yes, condensed it. His was originally 16 pages long if you'll believe it! Lucky you, now you only have to suffer through two and a half.  
  
Amelia snickered.  
  
Anyways, I thought it would only be fair to you to keep you current on what has happened here, most especially to Delbert, for I'm sure he won't disclose anything that might cause you to worry. I can't say he came to me in the best of conditions--the Nefarious was mistaken for a merchant vessel on the return trip and had an attempted pillaging. Needless to say our Delbert always seems to find some sort of trouble, and he spent a day or so in the hospital recovering from some rather insidious wounds.   
  
Amelia's expression turned to one of concern.  
  
I imagine at this point you're probably worried-- rest assured that he's doing much better, though I must say he is being one of the WORST patients I have ever seen in my life! That stubbornness of yours has rubbed off quite well on him. I certainly hope you return soon to us-- I sure YOU'LL be able to keep him in bed.  
  
Amelia gave a bark of laughter.  
  
Good luck on your mission, and please return safely to us soon.  
  
Sincerely yours,  
  
Sarah  
  
Amelia placed Sarah's letter aside, and picked up her fiancé's. Two and a half pages to the inch.  
  
Darling Amelia,  
  
I am hoping that by the time you read this, you are almost on your way home to me. I miss you more than words can say, and I crave you more now than you'll ever know. I must admit, I feel quite useless to you here on Montressor, but if there is any way you think of in which I can help speed your return, don't hesitate to notify me. The voyage back to Crescentia was uneventful at best--  
  
*Liar.* Amelia smirked.  
  
--And had it not been for other circumstances, I would have come to aid you personally.  
  
*By "other circumstances" you mean "gaping wounds," correct, Doctor?*  
  
In any case, I await your return, and insist you come back to me in one, unharmed piece. You see, I have a rather massive wedding ceremony to plan, and I fear the work may be too great to do alone. I'd enlist Sarah's help, but I think it may prove more...ehem, FUN, with you assisting.  
  
Amelia laughed. She continued to read the letter, trying desperately to hide the red in her cheeks as she found out exactly what sort of "fun" Delbert had in mind. *I certainly hope Sarah didn't read this before sending it out...*  
  
The rest of the letter basically finished off with well-wishes and promises that he'd stay out of trouble and help her endeavor as best he could. All this was signed fondly with:  
  
With all my love,   
  
Delbert  
She was about to fold the letter up and add it to her secret collection of love-letters from Delbert, when she noticed the P.S.  
  
P.S. Tell that self-important jerk Captain Raymond that if he so much as gives you one lewd look, I'll take that torpedo cannon he threatened to launch me out of and shove it up his...well, you get the picture.  
  
P.P.S. And I'll fire it off too.  
**************  
  
Jim lay in his bunk aboard the Nautilus, peering up at the ceiling. The plans to instate Ahai to the throne had failed, Carysa looked vengeful, and he and the captain had been confined to their ship until further notice. For the first time since before the Treasure Planet voyage, Jim felt truly trapped, as if he were somehow going nowhere with this particular venture, badly as he might want to get things accomplished. He grunted in frustration to himself as tossed onto his side, glaring at the wall, thinking hard.   
  
Something, something, something...he had to think of something.  
  
Jim rubbed his eyes with the thumb and forefinger of his right hand. In all honesty, he was tapped out. Maybe there was no real way to fix all of this. He was, after all, only seventeen, and though very good at homework when he wanted to be, he was hardly the infallible, amazing Jim Hawkins he wanted everyone to think he could be. In the end, he didn't have all the answers, which was an especially bad thing when the questions were so important. He felt helpless in his dark bunk, sitting there, waiting for something to happen, but he had long ago resigned to the fact that there were some things he couldn't help. Like the cops always tracking him on his solar surfer. Like the heavy snow he would end up shoveling in the winters back home. Like his father leaving and never coming back. He frowned. *Always comes back to that, eh?* Despite the momentary lapse into melancholy thoughts about his unforgivable parent, he set his jaw in silent determination. While there wasn't much he could do at present, he was resourceful, and his time would come. Until then, he would have to try and wait patiently, laying in the cold bunkroom in the dark.  
  
**********  
  
When the klaxons rang throughout the decks of the ship, Jim had been exactly two hours and thirteen minutes into his night's sleep, after wrestling fitfully with the thoughts that had danced in his head. The sound was so loud and so raucous that Jim literally fell off his small hammock, landing with a none to graceful "Smack!" on the cold wood floor. He shook his head to relieve it of the shock and small stars he began seeing in his peripheral vision, then dove to his feet, slipping into his brown boots and heading toward the deck. The sight stopped Jim dead in his tracks, as well as a few other startled and half-awake crewmembers. Above them, in a sweeping wave of dark blacks and browns was an enemy armada to rival any other, all with guns cocked at the planet of Nexus VII.   
  
"BATTLESTATIONS!" Jim heard Eigram roar from his position atop the bridge. "Get us out of here immediately!"  
  
Jim, who had orginally been asigned as a royal escort, had no particular job to do, so he soon found himself throwing all of his back muscles into positioning sails for maximum speed. He pulled one hand over the other--left, right, left, right--trying all the while to ignore the fact that several dozen ships were hovering in orbit above them.   
  
The Nautilus began its mad dash for the surface, aiming for any space where it could dock, preferably out of sight of the pirates. The pirates, who certainly hadn't been expecting to use weapons in claiming a planet that should by this point be in their possession, were stunned for a second at the sight of a royal naval ship hovering above the planet's surface, but, much to Eigram's chagrin, they quickly recovered and began aiming a few well-placed shots at the Nautilus. Eigram himself jumped back as a bolt hit the bridge, busting the steering wheel into tiny splinters and sending the ship careening toward the ground. As various other shots began pummeling the Nautilus, the dark wooden structure began to burst into flames, the smoke billowing up from it as it flew toward the ground.  
  
"Abandon ship!" Eigram called, "All hands to the longboats!" Various crewmembers began to flee to the belly of the ship, where the freshly painted longboats sat. Jim dropped the rope he was holding and followed a rock-like alien down the steps to the bowels. Jim began to cough as he was met with a large plume of dark smoke, coming from a fiercely blazing fire in one of the storage closets. Covering his mouth and nose, Jim ran as fast as he could, keeping in step just behind the bright white coat of the rock alien. The haze of the burning materials made Jim's eyes water, making it even harder for him to see. He began to cough violently as the cabin filled with black smoke--he felt lightheaded, but focused his blurred vision on the white mass in front of him. He stumbled once, but was pulled up by his collar by the same alien he was following, and dragged into the launching bay. There, the scene was chaotic, with the longboats being crammed with as many spacers as could possibly fit. Jim pulled himself over to one of the boats and climbed in, sitting in the tiny corner near the bow of the ship. He went into another fit of coughs as aliens and humans alike jumbled around in the boat while two of the riggers made a final call for that particular vessel. Jim sat up straighter as an alien's particularly large tail was shoved in next to him, hoping that by not slouching, he could free up some much needed space. Jim watched as longboats were being launched left and right; an explosion rocked the ship, and some of the occupants of a launching ship were thrown overboard. A final female passenger crammed into the tiny boat, bringing the count up to twenty people in a boat that was built to comfortably fit about nine. The female plopped herself unapologetically onto Jim's lap, trying to vy for any room. Jim tried to shift from underneath her as the boat began its freefall out of the belly of the ship. He felt his stomach leave him for the four seconds they were plummeting, but it soon came rushing back to him as the boat sped away from its mother ship at maximum speed.  
  
As he viewed the surroundings around him, he could see several other boats flying toward the surface, some of which were narrowly missing shots being fired at them from above. Above their tiny skiff, the Nautilus was half-consumed in flames; Jim's small crew was only about halfway to the surface when the majestic ship blew up, sending debris flying in every direction at great velocities. Jim ducked as a small piece from the hull went careening past his head. A larger piece followed the small one, missing Jim's boat, but smashing into another with a sickening crash. As they speeded toward the planet, the outlook, in Jim's head, was hardly positive. There was no telling if Captain Eigram had survived, no telling if Ahai was in danger--hell, there was no telling if the over-crowded boat would make it to the surface in one piece. He shifted the woman on his lap again, trying to cure the numbing in his thigh. No, things were definitely not good on his front.  
  
***********  
  
Amelia returned to the military base just outside the palace early the next day. She couldn't shake the feeling that so much of this had to do with Corporal Orthout, and the sooner she confronted him, the better she'd feel. She stormed into the central control where Orthout was hovered over a defense schematic. He was the only one in the room at that particular hour, and Amelia was thankful for that. If she could make this quiet, she could avoid arousing any suspicions from anyone else who may be on his side.   
  
"Corporal," she approached him, fingering the flintlock she had in a holster hidden beneath her jacket, "A word."  
  
"Captain," he said, nodding briefly in agreeance to her demand.  
  
"I will have you know, I am on to you. If you come quietly with me, I will see to it that you are given a reduced sentence. Granted, you ARE guilty of treason, which IS punishable by death, so I don't imagine you'll get off TOO easy."  
  
"Pardon me, Captain," Orthout furrowed his brow at her, "But what in the hell are you talking about?"  
  
"You know very well what I'm talking about. Now, tell me who you work for."  
  
"Who I work for? Treason?" Orthout looked genuinely confused for a moment, then his eyes widened in comprehension, "You think I'm the spy."  
  
"Very astute, Corporal, now, come with me, or I'll make you. I won't hesitate to use force--I can do dangerous things with a flintlock."  
  
Orthout took a step back, his hands out in front of him. "Captain, I'm not a spy. Of that much I can assure you."  
  
"And I'm supposed to take your word?"  
  
"Well, no, I don't suppose you might--it wouldn't reflect well on the training you were given anyway."  
  
Amelia scowled at him. "Enough of this nonsense. Are you coming quietly, or not?"  
  
Orthout looked into her eyes, unafraid of the commanding woman before him. "Please," he pleaded, "I am NOT the spy. I wish I knew who was. What makes you think I'm the culprit? Why not the chef? Or the guards?"  
  
"Corporal," Amelia growled, "Your attitude has, I believe, been suspicious. Plus, I can't help but notice you were quite quick to jump on the assignment to man planetary defense."  
  
"It was my area of study! I have a masters in it!"  
  
"OR--you took the job to help your pirate friends enter the atmosphere more easily. Not to mention, my little 'problem' with the knife-wielding psychopath two nights ago woke all palace-serving officers on that floor, including Admiral Kondage. However, I couldn't help but notice you were MYSTERIOUSLY absent."  
  
"I was here."  
  
Amelia smiled wickedly at him. "You can tell that to the judge." She reached for Orthout's arm, and was able to grasp it with little fight on his part, however, the Corporal bore his gaze deep into hers, his eyes fierce with sincerity, or else a very persuasive false sincerity.  
  
"Don't do this. You're wasting your time here with me. Right now, your real culprit is probably one step closer to taking over this place."  
  
Amelia's resolve faltered only for a fraction of second, in a brief moment in which she thought maybe she WAS wrong about the officer's reclusive behavior; however, she composed herself just as quickly, and spoke, "I won't be wasting my time with you. It'll be a few lawyers and a judge wasting THEIR time on you."  
  
Orthout shook his head. "You're making a mistake. I'll come quietly, but you'll see soon enough..."  
  
**********  
  
When Amelia finally returned to the Legacy, she couldn't quite shake the feeling that she was missing something, or that something had gone unaccomplished in the course of her day. She slowly ascended the stairs to her stateroom, where Turgevny was seated at her desk inside.   
  
"Still at work, my friend?" Amelia asked, eyeing the piles of maps Turgevny was hunched over.  
  
"Aye, Capton. I hav been analyzing the surrounding areas vor any possible veaknesses in the current defense. I should like to prevent falling into another attack."  
  
"And? Have you found anything alarming?"  
  
"No, Capton. Zere is only a few thousand kilometers unaccounted for, but it is in Aldurian space. No doubt it vill be vell attended to in the event of hostilies."  
  
Amelia nodded once.  
  
"Oh, bevore I vorget...zere vos a message vor you."  
  
"Oh? From whom?"  
  
Turgevny smiled. "It vos vrom your Doctor friend, I think. He contacted the palace guard station in hopes of talking to you."  
  
Amelia pursed her lips. "I think I shall attend to that call." She stood up and proceeded toward the door. "Don't work too late now, Turgevny. I can't have my second in command falling asleep at his post."  
  
"Of course not," Turgevny beamed, "I vill quit here shortly."  
  
Amelia smiled in satisfaction and left for the guard station.   
  
*********  
  
When she finally arrived, Amelia took next to no notice of "Pudge," the man who had stopped her entrance to the palace not too long ago. The husky guard watched her carefully over his donut, as if he feared she would once again fly off the handle at him. When Amelia passed him completely in favor of the communications room, "Pudge" breathed a sigh of relief, and resumed his indulgence in his jelly-filled wonder.  
  
Amelia found the communications room empty, which was a fact she was thankful for--making a call to her beloved fiance with people watching wasn't exactly her idea of a fun, or appropriate, evening. She switched on one of the arrays, and, via skills she had learned years ago in the academy from instructors long dead, she was able to reach the tired face of Delbert Doppler at his personal residence only five minutes later.  
  
"He--*yawn* Hello? Do you have any idea what time it is? I never---" he began, as his image pulled on his glasses to focus on the wrongdoer who had deprived him of a restful slumber. Upon seeing Amelia, however, his facial expression changed completely, and he grinned from one floppy ear to the next. "Amelia, dearest! I wasn't expecting you to call back so soon! Oh, my dear, its a pleasure to hear from you! You---"  
  
"What's this I hear about a pirate ambush? Are you badly hurt? 'Uneventful' you told me, you bloody liar...! If Sarah hadn't have said anything...! What were you thinking? Oooh, I'll have your head for lying to me, Delbert Doppler!"  
  
Doppler chuckled. "There's the woman I know and love---wastes no time with false pretenses."  
  
"Not funny. I was worried," she said, her face serious.  
  
"I assure you, I'm doing quite well. Sarah's babying me half to death here. You didn't call me back just to scold me, did you?"  
  
"No, but I saw no point in delaying it until I got home."  
  
Delbert smiled again. "I'm thrilled you decided to return my call. I didn't think Raymond would give you that letter, and I wanted to make sure that everything has been going well with you."  
  
"Well, he DID give me the letter, but only because he thought it was from Sarah exclusively. As for myself, I've been better, but I've also certainly been worse."  
  
"I would hope nothing would be worse than your terrible crash landing on treasure Planet," he joked with her.  
  
"Acutally, when I referred to worse situations, I was recalling my first intimate night with you," she managed to maintain her rigid captain's face, but her eyes shone with humor.  
  
Doppler grasped his chest with his good arm. "You wound me. Very well then, if I underperform so badly..." he left the threat hanging.  
  
Amelia laughed. "Oh, come off it! You're a truly terrible actor."  
  
Delbert shook his head. "Anyway, I've been in correspondence with one of the officers on that planet. I've been giving him advice on planetary defense. Turns out a lot of the anomalies in the area make excellent defensive boundaries. Take the Juix nebula for instance: it's a small, blue hydrogen gas cloud, only 17.237 parsecs in width, but at 1,569,320,453,123.68 degrees--give or take 1000 degrees depending on conditions, it---"  
  
"Planetary defense?" Amelia cut him off, "Who exactly have you been in contact with?"  
  
Doppler stopped a moment, scratching his chin in thought. "Hmmmm...I don't recall the man's name...began with an 'O' I think. Olson? No, that's not it. Orville? No, not that either. Oewhexilapithy? No, I would have remembered a name like that..."  
  
"Orthout?"  
  
"Yes! That's the man. Corporal Orthout."  
  
Amelia groaned.  
  
"Why? Is there a problem?"  
  
Amelia sighed. "I apprehended the corporal this morning under founded suspicions that he is a traitor to the empire and planning to aid in the pirate's coup."  
  
"Orthout? My god...I had no idea...What pointed you to him?"  
  
Amelia began to explain the entirety of her reasoning as Delbert listened attentively.  
  
"...And he was nowhere to be found after the murder attempt. I believe he must have a hand in it."  
  
Doppler shook his head. "Impossible."  
  
"Pardon?"  
  
"He was speaking with me all day. That's why he didn't show. He really WAS at the command center. And for the record, he really DID get his degree in planetary defense. He did some of his coursework at my old alma mater. We got to talking about that briefly. He knew entirely too much about the cartography professor there NOT to have attended."  
  
Amelia frowned. "So you think he's innocent?"  
  
"Well, I think you're argument isn't strong enough to convict. He has an alibi now."  
  
Amelia thumped her fist on the console. "Damn." She ran her fingers through her hair, then turned back to Doppler. "So I'm no closer to knowing who the culprit is."  
  
Her fiancé smiled sympathetically. "Now, now. I'm sure you'll figure it out. You may be right after all--just not for the reasons you've told me."  
  
Amelia nodded, taking little consolation in her lover's words. "He's right under my damn nose...why is he eluding me?"  
  
"I doubt the rebel regime would have sent him in if he was horrible at keeping his scheme hidden. He's a professional. Give it time; I have faith in you."  
  
Amelia smiled warily at him. "Thank you. That's good to know, I guess."  
  
Delbert grinned. "Your welcome. Now go get some sleep. It looks like you could use a rest."  
  
"Oh, you're just trying to get rid of me so you can sleep. Well, far be it from me to prevent you snoring. Goodnight, Delbert."  
  
"Goodnight, love."  
  
Amelia switched off the screen and stood.  
  
*You're wasting your time here with me. Right now, your real culprit is probably one step closer to taking over this place.*  
  
Damn. Rather than heading for her ship, she headed for the prison barracks.  
**********  
  
Corporal Michael Orthout hated prison food. Especially on "fried chicken surprise" night. Though he hadn't had the "privilege" of trying the other fine cuisines the barracks had to offer, he was sure tommorow's "breakfast casserole" would be almost as grotesque as his dinner. Nothing, NOTHING could taste worse than fried chicken surprise, and what made it worse, he thought he had an idea what the "surprise" factor was. Wasn't it uningestible?  
  
It was fairly late in the evening, so needless to say Orthout was surprised when one of the barracks's attendants, and Captain Amelia came to his cell door.  
  
"Captain," Orthout said, surprised. He stood straight as the attendant and the feline entered.  
  
"You're free to go. There isn't enough evidence to keep you here I'm afraid," Amelia said.  
  
"They don't believe your story?"  
  
Amelia raised an eyebrow at him. "On the contrary. That's how I was able to get you confined here in the first place. However, I have some new information that makes much of mine null and void. Thus, they can't keep you in here."  
  
Orthout sighed. "Well, that's good. I don't think anything could have prepared me for tomorrow's casserole." He followed Amelia as she and the guard turned to leave the cell.  
  
"Will I be permitted to go back to defenses tomorrow?" he asked.  
  
"No," Amelia said, "Mind you, you may be free, but you're still suspect. And damn if I won't keep an eye on you."  
  
"Fair enough," Orthout said, "At least I'm out of the cell. Who do they have working at my post anyway? I ahve some very delicate and top secret defenses going on, and I certainly hope that they gave command to someone who has experience."  
  
"Admiral Kondage has taken over defense for the time being," the guard said, "Though he eagerly awaits your return. Says you've got a knack for this sort of thing."  
  
Orthout smiled. As the guard turned back to his work, he turned to Amelia. "What did you find out that set me free?"  
  
"You had correspondence with an astronomer, I hear?"  
  
"Yes. Ummm...Doppler. Dr. Doppler. When I was in school I had to do research on natural spacial anomalies as defensive barriers. When I decided to put that to use in this case, I contacted him, because I had heard about his paper on nebulae in this system from an old professor of mine. Doppler was able to give me some advice. Nice guy. Good taste in schools. I liked him, though I suspect he wouldn't have been your cup of tea."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"Yeah. He's a bit too...eccentric for you. You'd probably have gotten fed up with him real fast."  
  
"Really."  
  
"Anyways," Orthout turned to her, "I want to thank you for coming forth with the new information you got. You could have kept me locked up regardless, and for that, I am most grateful you said something."  
  
"Don't thank me. You'll have guards attending your quarters at all times."  
  
Orthout just nodded. "Very well. Goodnight, Captain."  
  
****************  
  
The first sounds were muffled from inside her room on the Legacy. She had fallen asleep just a little afer midnight, and was furious at being woken up by loud, thunderous noises well before dawn. She was tired, and had been having a rather lovely dream, so when she tromped over to the window in a huff, she had half a mind find the party responsible for the noisy disturbance and string them from he flag staff. She peered out the window and was met with a sight she had not been expecting. The palace's main gates had been blasted open, there were two or three dead guards lying in their own blood on the entranceway, and the ornate front doors had been battered open.  
  
"Oh, dammit to hell!" she exclaimed, hastily throwing on clothes. She ran up to the deck, where many of the crewmemebers had their eyes fixed on the palace.  
  
"All of you!" Amelia ordered, "Head for the palace! Protect the Queen at all costs!"  
  
As her crew disembarked for the palace, Amelia herself made a brief trip to the main weapons locker and pulled out a large rifle. She then made a beeline for the palace entrance, passing the smoldering gates, jumping over the bloodied bodies of the uniformed guards, and running up the scuffed marble palace steps. As she trudged through the main hallway, she could hear voices and weapons-fire coming from the west wing of the building, where the Queen and her maids in waiting resided. She followed the voices, her back pressed up against the wall, and stopped when she came to a group of people. A few of her own crew had been taken, and were now on their knees, with their hands pressed against the backs of their skulls, along with a few frightened maidens and a guard or too. A few guards lay on the floor dead, laser holes blown clear through their heads. Amelia averted her eyes from the dark puddles surrounding each dead man. She focused on the pirates, two of which had guns trained on a rather frightened looking guard, and a third pirate, who had his hideously scarred face way up in his.  
  
"I'm gonna ask ya one more time before I blasts ya. Where's the Queen?"  
  
"I-I-I-I don't know. I don't guard the queen's quarters...I..."  
  
Without another word, the pirate cocked his handgun, pointed it at the guard's forehead, and fired twice, sending fluid and debris raining onto a few of the nearby maidens, who shrieked in response.  
  
"Quiet, ya damn wenches!" the scarred pirate bellowed, training his gun on the women, who willed themselves to stay quiet. Amelia pondered her plan of action...three to one were bad odds. Regardless, she powered up her rifle. She would only get one, maybe two good shots, then hell would break loose. She listened as the powering mechanism whistled as it functioned. Just as the noise stopped, signaling full power, Amelia felt cold steel barrel of a flintlock touch the nape of her neck.  
  
"Well, well, Captain. We meet again. How lovely for me."  
  
To be continued....  
  
Ok...so this chapter was supposed to be like...twice as long and my last, but I figured I'd spilt it so I'd have SOMETHING to post. Bleh...so so so hard to write...definetely not one of my favorites to write. Anyway, one more chapter, an epilogue... and fini. So if you are still reading (and esp. reviewing) love to you all, and thanks for wading through this for so long. Review, review!! I'm almost to 100!! :)  
  
Aloha,  
  
J. 


	17. Chapter17

Ch. 17  
  
Disclaimer: Insert standard Disclaimer here.  
  
Jim felt fire travel up his spine as the overcrowded longboat he was in made a rough landing in the imperial gardens. Standing up painfully, Jim surveyed his surroundings. All the flowers in the path of their crash-landing had met an unfortunate end, but Jim suspected that the royals wouldn't much care at the particular point in time. He stepped out of the boat and ran briskly for the palace, a few others following in his tracks. In the sky, Jim could see many enemy longboats beginning to descend toward the surface near the palace, and he knew he had to act fast. He burst through the door leading from the palace into the palace. The halls were in chaos, with aliens flying in every direction, vying for a hiding place away from the invaders. In the distance, Jim heard a window break, followed by a woman's scream which was quickly silenced in a volley of laser fire. Jim winced. The woman was most assuredly dead, and if he wasn't careful, he would suffer the same fate.   
  
He remembered that they were keeping the crown prince locked in his room, and logically figured that this would be the best place to start looking for him.  
  
But where the hell was it?  
  
Jim moved quickly but stealthily through the green hallways, listening to the cacophony of sounds surrounding him as he made slick glances down every path. He was nearly caught once by a rotund alien with three eyes and fangs, but he managed to slip into a dark maintenance closet before he could be pursued. *If I were royalty, where would I sleep?* he thought as he crawled up a small flight of stairs. The creeping vaguely reminded him of his birthday's back home. His mother would often wrap his gifts the night before when she was alone in the dining room. Jim knew this, of course, and would often sneak silently out of bed and sit at the top of the stairs, peaking through the rails to catch a glimpse of just what sort of booty he was in store for the next morning. He smiled to himself at his prowess--his mother never HAD caught him... He was so deep in thought he didn't hear the voices of some pirates approaching his stairwell until they were basically on top of him. Jim scurried to make it back downstairs, but overstepped a bit and tumbled down the last seven. He quickly gathered himself and slid into the corridor, his back against the wall.  
  
"Did ya hear somethin' down dere?" one of the pirates asked his counterpart.  
  
"You're hearing things again you goddamn pea-brain! We finally go on this mission and they pair me with a scurvy wimp like yourself!"  
  
"Screw off. I heard somethin'. Somebody's down there I tells ya."  
  
A heavy sigh. One, two, three footsteps as the pirates descended.  
  
"I'll show you there's nothin' down there, you idiot! Honestly, man. We're in the middle of a surprise ambush...whatda you think, a scary soldier's gonna be down there? Or do all the handmaidens carry blaster rifles? Ooooh...not a little woman! Please!" one taunted.  
  
There was no response, and Jim used this silence to survey the distance the two were away from him. They were close, and Jim cocked his gun. *I hope this works...or I'm a dead man.* Jim leapt from his hiding place and pointed his gun at the pirates.  
  
"Stop right there and drop your weapons before I blow both your heads off!"  
  
The pirates were caught off guard, and paused for a second, staring at Jim in shock. Aggravated with the pirate's apparent lack of urgency, Jim fired a warning shot between their heads.   
  
"I said disarm now."  
  
The pirates both dropped their guns and held hands up in surrender.  
  
Jim glared at them. "Do you know where the prince is?"  
  
The two pirates looked at one another, both trying to decide what to do.  
  
"Answer me!" Jim bellowed, holding his gun toward their heads for emphasis.  
  
" 'sin the west wing o' the buildin'," the "cowardly" pirate said. Jim processed this, taking a moment of silence to figure out a plan. *Where the hell is the west wing?*  
  
"Get in front of me," Jim said, cocking his weapon at each pirate in turn. The pirates obliged.  
  
"What are you gonna do? Shoot us in the head?"  
  
"No," Jim growled, "Not yet. First things first. I have to find the prince. And guess who's going to take me to him?"  
  
One of the pirates glared at Jim.  
  
"Easy there, big guy. Let's not forget I have a charged flintlock pointed at the back of your greasy head. Now, are you going to take me to the prince or do I have to take more...DRASTIC measures with you?"  
  
The glaring pirate grunted once, then began to lead Jim and his cohort down the hall. Jim kept pace behind them, listening to the "wimp" mumble to his friend.  
  
"'Little woman,' ya says. 'Handmaiden with a blaster rifle...' Don't look like no bleedin' lady to me."  
  
"You. Quiet," Jim ordered. Then he added as an afterthought, "You know how we ladies get when we're in a rage. You don't want to provoke lil' ol' me, now, would ya?"  
  
The pirate shook his head.  
  
"I didn't think so."  
  
********  
  
How he had managed to make it to the prince's room without being further detected was a miracle to say the least, and one the Jim felt no reason to question or quibble over. He kept one hand on his gun, which was still pointed at the two disarmed pirates, while the other hand jammed a small tool he had lifted off the pirates in the lock of the door in attempt to unlock it. He wiggled it in the lock until he heard a small 'clink, snap' and the door opened. Jim smiled sheepishly to himself as he pushed the door open. He knew perfectly well where he had learned such a skill as picking locks, and could see the look on his mother's face if she ever found out about his "talent." Jim stepped into the room, which was a good deal smaller than he had expected the room of a royal child would be. The bed looked to be untouched and the rest of the room gave no indication that there had been anyone in there for days, save the two lamps lit on the small pearl tables on either side of the bed. Jim turned around once, peered into the small adjacent bathroom, then turned to the pirates in disgust.  
  
"I thought you said this was the prince's r..."  
  
Had he ever told about this incident to his defense and tactics professor back at the academy, he was sure the man would have demoted him all the way back to first year. When he looked back at this, he could quickly pick out just what his fatal error was. Needless to say, as his back was turned, the pirates both managed to grab him from behind and attempted to wrestle the smaller boy to the ground. Jim kicked and fought as the pirates tried to pry his hands loose from the flintlock he was holding. One of the pirates even when so far as to slam Jim's head into one of the posts on the four poster bed, sending Jim reeling. His vision blurred for a second a pirate grabbed a fistful of his hair, ready to beat Jim's skull upon the wooden bed a second time. Jim winced as his neck was pulled as far back as possible and he was lifted slightly off the floor. Jim's clear vision returned in just enough time to see his face rush not toward the bedpost, but the floor. Jim's arms flew out in front of him to catch himself--a natural reaction, to be sure, but one that Jim quickly realized he shouldn't have been able to accomplish given the pirates holding him. He heard a pirate fall to the ground beside him on the left before he saw it. Not a few seconds later, the second fell on his right, a visible lesion on his forehead. Jim turned quickly and saw Ahai standing above him, holding a rather heavy-looking bronze statuette.  
  
"'Bout time you showed up, Hawkins," he grinned, "I was beginning to think you maybe weren't that big a hotshot as you make yourself out to be in your stories."  
  
Jim whistled low, still in awe of the royal's attack. "Kid, that was pretty gutsy."  
  
"Enough to get me into the Interstellar Academy, maybe?" he asked hopefully.  
  
Jim picked himself up off the floor, groaning. "Ask me again if we live through this." He ran his fingers over the tender lump forming on his head, hissing at the bruise he already felt there. "So how did you manage to not get captured already?"  
  
Ahai shrugged. "Carysa doesn't care what happens to me. She's OLDER than I am...law says she gets the throne. If I had to take a guess, she's more likely to go after the people keeping her from taking her place."  
  
"You mean Patai?"  
  
Ahai nodded. "I heard a few people in the hall while I was hiding out in here. They have lots of men--fifty or more. You DID bring reinforcements....didn't you? Where's Captain Eigram?"  
  
Jim frowned. He hadn't seen the captain since before the Nautilus went down, but he certainly hoped the older man had made it out alive.  
  
"There are some officers already in the building," Jim said, heading toward the door, picking his gun up along the way. He poked his head into the hall and looked down both directions. "We need to get you safe first. Then I'll go and..."  
  
"No way!" the younger boy protested, "I'm going with you."  
  
"No, you're not," Jim insisted, "I'm expected to keep you safe. Putting you in danger would hardly make me a good spacer."  
  
"And I'm expected to keep my system safe. Letting my psychotic sister takeover the place would hardly make me a good prince."  
  
Jim smiled. "You're pretty noble, kid."  
  
"You're not so bad yourself, Hawkins," Ahai smiled in return. He approached the door and shut it. "You don't want to go out that way. We'll get caught." The prince approached a large painting on the wall and ran his hand along the edge of the artwork. He followed the edge down to an area where the canvas was slightly wrinkled, and he tore at the material. The medium-covered cloth came off in a large piece with an audible rip. Behind it, Jim could see that the wooden backing of the door was in fact a door, complete with gold padlock.  
  
"A door?"  
  
Ahai smiled. "Of course." He pressed a few buttons on the lock and the door creaked open. "C'mon. This should take us to the main hall."  
  
Jim followed the prince into a dark hall that was just wide enough to fit one person across comfortably. He squinted in the sparse lighting and moved closely behind Ahai. "Uh...you've been through this before, right?"  
  
"Nope."  
  
"Oh...good."  
  
The trip lasted only eight or nine minutes in total, and ended behind a painting in the main hall. Jim and Ahai both pushed the door open, breaking the canvas on the other side. From their position they could see the throne room, where Carysa was pacing in front of Patai, who was on her knees with three or four blasters trained on her. Most of the troops that had followed Jim in were now hostages, and were surrounded by armed pirates, who were snickering at the frightened naval officers. The hall and throne room were both littered with bodies from dead combatants. Ahai and Jim both crawled on their stomachs toward the throne room, stopping only long enough to allow Ahai to pry a weapon from a dead man's hands. The two of them watched Carysa take her path in front of her mother's cousin, a sneer plastered on her face.  
  
"You WILL see to it that I am crowned," she snarled.  
  
Patai jutted her chin out. "I will not betray the Nexian people by allowing you to come to power."  
  
Carysa let out a screech of frustration, then whirled around to face her minions. "Fire at will! Blow her damn brains out for all I care!"  
  
Just as a few pirates powered up their weapons, gunfire ran out from behind Jim. A few of the pirates fell, and the rest began to train their guns on the new intruder. Jim turned around.   
  
"Captain!" he exclaimed, pulling himself up off the floor, "I can't believe you're..."  
  
Eigram bowled him over, knocking the two of them to the ground, just barely eluding weapons fire.   
  
"Look, I'm glad you're happy to see me, but you nearly got your head taken off."  
  
Jim blushed slightly. "Sorry, sir."  
  
Eigram grunted. "Well, enough feeling sorry...Let's go kick some pirate ass already." He smiled at his younger charge.  
  
"As ordered, sir."  
  
They waited for the count of three, then barged into the throne room, ready to meet the fight head on, if it was the last thing they did.  
  
*********  
Amelia couldn't turn around with a gun pointed at the back of her head, but there was no need to. She knew the voice...late-night "interrogation" sessions of his sort weren't easily forgotten. Though she would never readily admit it, they gave her nightmares. She felt him grab the nape of her neck, pulling her auburn hair along with the skin. The flintlock was jammed into her temple, and she felt herself being dragged down the hall.  
  
"Captain," the head pirate said smoothly, "You always seem to cause trouble for me." He jerked her head along as he steered her down a long corridor to the banquet hall. "Now, really, what do you have against me?"  
  
"You'll pay for all this, you bloody cretin," she grimaced.  
  
"Will I? Well I hope you brought your magic wand with you, Captain, because I really do think you're going to need some good pixie dust to get yourself out of this one." He brought her to the banquet hall, where many of his henchmen had high-ranking officials and military personnel. He tossed Amelia to the floor, and a big, burly guard held his weapon steady on her. "Easy with that one," he told his comrade, "I want her...unspoiled for...later." The leader then stood before the officials, a malicious grin on his face.  
  
"Now, I case you haven't noticed, I have this palace throughly ranksacked. You're now at my mercy...but I'm giving you a chance to save your hides. Now...where is the Queen?"  
  
Not a word sounded from everyone, and the captured men's faces remained resolute as they stared hard at the leader.  
  
"No one? Very well, then." He turned to one of his henchmen. "Kornos!" he bellowed the man's name. The pirate pull out a hand cannon, and put a hole in the entire abdomen of the Prime Minister. Amelia winced as she felt parts of the dead man's intestines rain down on her.  
  
"Now, let me ask again...where is the Queen?"  
  
The process continued: two, three, ten men were dead, and the leader was quickly losing his patience. He was just sticking a flintlock in the Major General's ear, when the doors to the banquet hall burst open.  
  
"Sir! The Queen has escaped!" the newcomer said, rushing into the room. Amelia gasped.  
  
"Kondage! You bloody traitor!"  
  
Kondage sneered. "Amazing. I was able to fool the great Captain Amelia, eh?"  
  
The leader growled to bring Kondage's attention back to the matter at hand. "What do you MEAN, she's escaped?"  
  
"She's not in the palace. We've searched the whole thing."  
  
"Then where is she?"  
  
Kondage began to explain about what his intelligence team had managed to find out, but Amelia took little interest in it. She hissed at the sharp smell of blood in the room, and tried to focus on a part of the once pristine hall that didn't have blood splattered on the side of it. She let her gaze float to the balcony overlooking the hall, and thought briefly of the balcony outside Delbert's room, where they had spent many a warm summer night talking together. She gritted her teeth. She was going to die here...  
  
She heard a slight rustling on the balcony, barely audible over the pirate's talking.  
  
...Or not. For a brief second, she was able to catch a glimpse of a standard issue naval uniform, and she knew reinforcements had arrived. *I'll have to thank Raymond, for once. He actually managed to get reinforcements here...granted they could have been here sooner...but hell.* She could tell that the troops were waiting as silently as possible for the right time to shoot. She averted her eyes quickly and stared at the ground, hoping none of the pirates had caught her looking upward. She wasn't that lucky, however, as the pirate training the gun on her began to squint up at the balcony.  
  
*Blast,* she thought, mentally kicking herself, *I have to do something to distract him.*  
  
The leader's voice cut into her train of thought. "Well, we'll just have to go after her."  
  
"What about the prisoners?" one of the pirates asked.  
  
"Lock them in here and blow the place to kingdom come," the leader said nonchalantly, "I don't have time to quibble over them. I have a takeover to finish."  
  
One of the pirates brandished a rather insidious-looking bomb and promptly set the timer. Amelia groaned to herself, letting her eyes fly from the retreating back of the pirate leader, to the bomb, to the man holding her at gunpoint, who was still watching the balcony with careful precision. *Well, it's now or never, old girl.* Amelia spun around on her knees and elbowed her captor in the hip. The pirate fell to the ground, grabbing his joint in pain. Amelia tried to wrestle his weapon from him as the fallen man's counterparts began shooting at her. In the distance, she heard Raymond give the order to fire, and suddenly, all hell broke loose. The troops managed to take down a good number of the pirates before they started returning fire. The captured military officials began to sweep up bloodied weapons of all sorts from the dead, leading the combat close to the ground. Amelia took cover behind the Queen's high table, shooting with deadly accuracy at the "traitorous scum" as some of her allies began to descend from their second-story in favor of closer combat. Amelia had just shot down a seven-eyed alien and managed to just barely miss a laser shot toward her left when she was joined by ally company behind the table.  
  
"I must say, you're even more sexy holding that gun."  
  
Amelia turned to see Raymond smiling at her.  
  
"About time you got here," she said through gritted teeth as she took aim at the invaders.  
  
"Ah, well, I had to meet the enforcements in high orbit. It took me a few minutes." he cocked his laser cannon and picked off a Flatulan woman. The two of them continued shooting until Amelia heard a loud "blip." Her eyes flew to the source.  
  
"Damnit! The bomb!" she cried. Raymond's eyes followed hers.  
  
"Shit...I forgot all about that," Raymond said, earning a glare from Amelia. He stood and yelled as loud as he could, "RETREAT MEN! RETREAT!"  
  
The forces all began toward the hall doors, delivering a volley of fire behind them. Many of the pirates followed in pursuit, while still others remained behind. Raymond grabbed Amelia's arm. "Let's go gorgeous, before all that's left of us is a few tissue samples."  
  
The two of them headed for the door, getting caught up along the way by enemy fire. They managed to take refuge behind a large fountain about halfway out, and Amelia strained to read the timer off the bomb.  
  
20 seconds.  
  
*Lovely.*  
  
She and Raymond returned fire, hoping to pick off enough of the pirates to allow them partially safe passage to the door. Amelia shot down a third Tandarian, all the while counting down in her head.  
  
*13...12...10...*  
  
She threw a glance toward the door. It would be risky to make a run for it, but in ten seconds, they would be dead anyway...  
  
*9...8...*  
  
Amelia nudged Raymond. "Let's go!"  
  
Raymond shook his head as he concentrated on his shooting. "Too many of them."  
  
*7...6...5...*  
  
Amelia shoved him toward the door. "I said 'GO!'"  
  
The two of them ran...  
  
*4...3..*  
  
Amelia felt a laser bolt just graze her forehead...  
  
*2...*  
  
Raymond was hit once in the side by the butt of a rifle, but he kept running...  
  
*1...*  
  
**********  
  
Delbert Doppler stopped by Delilah's stall on the way back from retrieving his morning newpaper. The beast was wide awake, and more than happy to see her master up. Doppler pulled out some feed and gave his loyal pet some breakfast, even though Delilah seemed much more interested in slobbering all over him. He managed to pry himself away from her joyous "attack" on him, and headed back into the house. He headed for the kitchen and put a kettle on for tea. As he waited for the water to boil, he produced two muffins from his cupboard that he had purchased in town the day before. He placed them on a tray, along with napkins and his paper. The kettle began to whistle, and he removed it from the heat, pouring the contents into teacups for tea. Placing the cups on the tray next to the pastries, he began to ascend the stairs back to his room. He pushed open the large doors to his bedroom, which he had purposely left slightly ajar. He approached the table on the right side of the bed and set the tray down. He carefully removed his teacup, the paper, and a muffin and placed it on the table. He then lifted the tray, bustled over to the other side of the bed, and repeated the same process on the other bedside table. He was just about to return to his side of the bed when she stirred.  
  
"You're up already?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
She chuckled. "I can't even remember the last time you were up before I was."  
  
"I do. You had the flu."  
  
"Ahh, yes," she said, rolling onto her back, "I don't remember ever being that violently ill." She threw a glance to the breakfast on the table. "You brought me tea?"  
  
"Earl grey. No sugar. Just the way you like it."  
  
She smiled. "How lovely. Thank you dear." She leaned over to kiss him on the cheek once. She then reached over and picked up her tea. She sipped it tentatively as Doppler began to read the paper's headlines. Amelia leaned over and caught a glimpse at the front page.  
  
CONSPIRATORS CONVICTED OF COUP AT THE PALACE FACE COURT TRIAL TODAY  
  
She huffed. "Bloody traitors lost their right to trial if you ask me."  
  
Delbert smiled at her. "Either way they'll be convicted."  
  
Amelia frowned and set her tea down. "Hmm. Have they found the ringleader yet?"  
  
Doppler skimmed the article he was reading. "No, not yet."  
  
"Damn," she muttered, ringing the sheets in her hands. "What about the Nexian Princess?"  
  
"The newscast yesterday said she commited sucide," he said, shaking his head. "Apparently she was just a bit too infatuated with this leader."  
  
"And now that he's up and gone, maybe dead..." Amelia let the thought trail off.  
  
"Jim contacted the Nexian Prince just the other day. Apparently the two are good friends now. He says that they are trying to rebuild."  
  
Amelia nodded slowly. "I must say, I'm relieved it's over...for the most part."  
  
"Well, the lawyers and governments and reconassiance will take it from here. I think you've earned some time off."  
  
She smiled. "And I intend on taking it. I have yet MORE repairs to oversee."  
  
Doppler frowned. "Now, now. You just CAME from the spaceport. Surely you won't jump into spacing this soon."  
  
She kissed his nose and sat close to him. "Believe me, the Legacy won't be in any shape to take any long-range voyages for a while yet. In the meantime, I could take care of things here at home."  
  
"Oh?" he asked, "Like what?"  
  
She smiled sheepishly. "Well, I think I may need a new...ring." She showed off her bare hand to illustrate. His eyes widened.  
  
"W--where's the old one?"  
  
"Jammed in a door lock on the Royal homeworld."  
  
Doppler sighed a weary sigh. "Lovely. Well, I suppose I could comb this place for another."  
  
"Anything will do, dear," she snuggled close to him.  
  
"Wait...how did it end up in a lock?"  
  
"A long story dear...I've been up to my ass in traitors and vile pirates. Hostile takeover attempts...hostile takedowns...arrests, executions, pursuits...it's all a part of a very, very complicated story, and I fear I don't much care to relive it right now."  
  
Doppler gave her a sympathetic look. "Quite all right dear. It's over. We can look toward the future now." He sat up further. "We can go out and replace that ring this morning if you wish."  
  
Amelia pondered this for a second, then shook her head. "I have a better idea." She violently pushed him down back into the pillows and straddled him, pulling him into a hard kiss. She pulled herself away and began kissing his neck.  
  
Doppler smiled. *And Raymond would be so jealous right now...* The thought brought to mind another.  
  
"Amelia, dear, I was thinking that we might invite that Raymond fellow to the wedding...and maybe also..."  
  
Amelia's voice was muffled as she grumbled against his neck. "Less talking, more undressing, doctor."  
  
"Aye, Captain."  
To be continued...  
  
Whee...go to the epilogue. Go straight to the epilogue. Do not past go, do not collect $200.  
  
Aloha,   
  
J. 


	18. Epilogue

Epilogue  
  
Disclaimer: Not mine. A second reference to one of my favorite T.V. series. Not mine either.  
  
Jim was as quiet as he could manage to be in his dorm room. Zek was asleep and snoring quite loudly, so he didn't necessarily fear waking his roommate up. He browsed the letter he had received from Ahai earlier that day as he pondered what to say in response. He had had contact with the prince off and on over the remainder of the school year. Things had been rough on the boy, but the soon-to-be king was beginning to look up: life at the palace was treating him well, and, more importantly, he had been accepted to the academy in the new term. Jim decided to start with the congratulations.  
  
Ahai,  
  
Or should I say, 'Your royal highness?' Congrats on getting into the academy. You'll do great I'm sure, if your performance in that skirmish in the palace is any indication. Yes, my laser wound has healed well, though I'll thank you not to tell anyone that I was shot in the rear. You laughing at me was bad enough, thanks. Anyway, my stint at the academy is quickly drawing to a close. I'll be graduating at the end of the semester, and I've even been told I may have a ship assignment right off the back! It's a shame we won't be able to school here at the same time, but I'll give you some pointers.  
  
1. Don't be late to Hyperphysics II with Professor Marsh. I learned this the hard way.  
  
2. Don't get a dorm watched by Olvisby. It's miserable. He's a jerk.  
  
3. Don't eat the meatloaf.  
  
4. Pack a plunger. Just trust me on this one.  
  
Other than that, just study. You'll be fine. Oh--and tell them you know me. The teachers will love you right away. Except for Professor Marsh. In that case, you DON'T know me.  
  
In other news, Mom says she'll have the Benbow running by the end of the year. She's really excited about it. B.E.N.'s been helping her out, but Mom's "accidentally" disconnected him a few times, for reasons she doesn't really have to explain. Life's great on the home front. Mom's happy, B.E.N.'s happy (when he's not powered down), and Morph's happy. Mom's been watching over Morph for the last few months after Olvisby found him floating around in my dorm room, trying to mimic my open holo-history book. Stupid jerk.  
  
Speaking of stupid jerks, I did manage to see Captain Raymond again. The administrators asked him and another guy to coordinate some war games for artillery practice. Turns out he was invited to the Doppler's wedding. Turned it down though. It's a shame too...I would have been cool to see smoke come out of his ears. Eigram did show, however. He's in command of a new ship now, the Fidelius. It's HUGE! Almost twice as big as the Nefarious...yeah, Raymond's not happy about that either. Mumbled something when he was here about "that damn bastard getting the finest addition to the fleet." I think that man's got some serious anger issues to work out.  
  
Oh...and additions. Turns out the good doctor and his new wife are expecting some in four months. If I do my math correctly, it seems their honeymoon was quite...err...productive. Well, that's the Captain for you, no need to waste any time with her. The Captain's been mostly stoic about it, but then again, she's ALWAYS been that way. Doc's worried out of his mind, and I think his overprotectiveness of the Captain is really starting to grate on her last nerve (and there are so few of them in pregnant women, apparently). Mom's tickled pink by the whole thing--she's thrilled at the prospect of being an "aunt."  
  
So there you have it. Contact me soon, it's really...  
The footsteps in the hall made Jim jump. *Aww, man, doesn't this guy ever quit?*  
  
  
Er...gotta go...Olvisby's on night patrol it seems. Big jerk.  
  
Jim  
  
  
  
  
Jim tucked the letter in between his books---he would have to remember to send it tomorrow. He reached for his oil lamp and was about to shut it off...  
  
"Hawkins!" Olvisby stormed in. "Light's out was three hours ago! Do we think we're all high and mighty now, Hawkins? TURN OFF THE LIGHT!"  
  
Jim obliged and climbed onto his bunk.  
  
"Rest up, Cadet," Olvisby grinned evilly, "I do think you have a rather long detention tomorrow." With that said, he shut the door.  
  
Jim sneered at the door and shifted angrily in bed.  
  
*Jerkjerkjerkjerkjerkjerk.*  
  
********  
  
Amelia wandered out onto the deck in the middle of the night. Sleep wouldn't come easily to her tonight, and she figured a short stroll on her deck may bring slumber about. She walked the circumference of the main deck, letting the cool night breeze wash over her. The skies were calm, not a storm or anomaly in sight. She made her way around the deck, past the bowsprit, toward the port side. She leaned over the edge of the hull, taking a second to inspect the side of her ship. The contractors had done a nice job covering up the Legacy's battle scars--the new paint job looked absolutely flawless. Nodding in satisfaction, she made her way over to the rigging and followed it up to the crow's nest. The lookout was obviously gone for the moment, probably just to take a brief break for himself. She glanced in either direction, sort of like a kid not wanting to get caught, and scaled the rigging to the top of the mast. She stood in the crow's nest, letting her gaze travel along the ship. Yes, had no one seen the condition the Legacy had returned in from the ambush, they would have denied it had ever happened. She sighed to herself. The whole situation was one big, ruddy mess, and she was thankful that the worst was behind her. She watched as one of the crewmembers stole away from the crew's quarters, down to the galley, quickly emerging with a small snack. In the back of her mind, Amelia made a note to lock the supply cabinets at night. She turned her gaze upwards--a small pod of Orcus Galactici were "swimming" above the ship, passing in almost silent formation. The whole of the night was serene--the breeze, the calm, the etherium as a whole, and strangely enough, this serenity made her slightly sleepy. She felt a small flutter in her stomach and peered down at her slightly protruding belly. Apparently, she was keeping someone up, and she thought it best to head back to bed. *Besides,* she thought to herself as she climbed back down the rigging slowly, *Delbert would likely blow his top if he found me up there.* She laughed a little to herself as she climbed back onto the main deck. She made her way back to her quarters, and back to the bedroom.  
  
She climbed into bed next to Delbert, who was sleeping away, snoring slightly. She watched him for quite awhile: the way his chest rose and fell with each breath, the way he would toss in bed, only to return to the exact same position he left, the way he would sometimes paw at the collar of his shirt, as if it somehow restricted him. She smiled to herself as she studied him. All the fighting, all the weapons, and injuries...all to come back for this. And she'd do it a hundred times over, if it meant the same ending each time. Yes, the etherium could be a dark place-- a harsh, and unforgiving place. That would never change. But where there is darkness, there must also be light.  
  
Amelia curled up next to her husband, getting comfortable in the crook of his arm.  
  
All life was was a search to find the light in all the darkness.  
  
She felt his arm tighten around her slightly, and she closed her eyes.  
  
Light found.  
Fini  
Aaaannndd...I'm done! Wow! Tigrin's right! That does feel kinda cool.  
  
Let me take this opportunity to thank all my reviewers--you've made me feel really good about this story. Thank you for making my first fanfiction writing experience one I'll never forget. 


End file.
